BANCROFT 

LIBRARY 

<• 

THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 


THE 


LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL; 


OK, 


Jfbt  of  %  $* 


«THE  SUBLIMEST  WORK  OF  OUR  CREATOR 
IS  THE  GLORIOUS  RACE  OF  MAN." 


PHILADELPHIA: 
1861. 


L 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1861,  by 
CHARLES  EVEN, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  United  States,  in  and  for  the 
Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


STEREOTYPED  BY  L.  JOHNSON  &  CO. 

PHILADELPHIA. 
LIPPINCOTT  &  CO.,   PRINTERS. 


INTRODUCTION. 


IT  is  a  well-known  fact  that,  when  Christopher  Colum 
bus  first  set  foot  on  America's  soil,  he  found  it  already 
tenanted  by  a  people  which,  though  differing  from  his 
own  race  in  customs  and  color,  were  as  perfect  speci 
mens  of  humanity  as  himself  and  followers. 

Only  intent  upon  new  discoveries,  and  animated  but 
by  the  desire  of  subjugating  whatever  new  countries  he 
might  find  to  the  crown  of  Spain,  the  great  explorer 
regarded  this  new  and  strange  people  merely  in  so  far  as 
they  might  be  used  in  furthering  his  own  plans,  trou 
bling  himself  little  about  their  rights  or  origin. 

The  extreme  darkness  in  which  the  earlier  history 
of  our  Eed  neighbors  is  involved,  renders  it  next  to 
impossible  to  penetrate  the  veil  which  enshrouds  their 
origin ;  while  it  is  almost  needless  to  say  that  all  that 
has  been  said  or  written  about  this  certainly  interesting 
subject  is  based  only  on  conjecture  and  fiction.  Yet, 
notwithstanding  all  this,  it  is  almost  certain  that  the 
history  of  the  earlier  inhabitants  of  this  country  con 
cerns  us  much  more  than  hitherto  we  may  have  supposed, 
for,  unless  we  regard  that  Book  of  books,  the  Holy 
Bible,  as  a  mere  work  of  romance  and  fiction,  it  is 


4  INTRODUCTION. 

not  to  be  disputed  that  the  first  and  only  human  beings 
ever  created  by  the  Almighty  without  the  agency  of 
man,  were  Adam  and  Eve,  from  whom  all  mankind 
are  descended,  and,  allowing  this  to  be  a  fixed  fact,  our 
aborigines  must  have  sprung  from  the  same  parent 
root  with  ourselves. 

If  we  follow  the  Holy  Scriptures,  we  see  the  gradual 
development  of  the  human  race  until  we  come  down  to 
the  period  of  the  patriarch  Noah.  We  all  have  read  of 
the  deluge,  and  we  have  seen  that  all  mankind  were 
destroyed,  with  the  exception  of  Noah  and  his  family. 
How  these  latter  were  saved,  we  all  know;  but  is  it  not 
wonderful  that  a  man  who  never  before  even  dreamed 
of  a  ship,  or  of  the  possibility  of  crossing  a  large  expanse 
of  water,  should  all  at  once  have  become  possessed  of 
the  idea  of  building  the  Ark  ?  It  most  undoubtedly  is, 
and  the  only  way  in  which  we  can  possibly  account  for 
it,  is  that  of  the  Bible :  it  was  brought  about  by  divine 
inspiration,  and  under  the  special  direction  of  Jehovah. 
Here  then  we  have  a  striking  instance,  that  even  in 
the  oldest  times,  when  science  was  in  its  infancy,  God 
sometimes,  in  a  single  lesson,  would  teach  and  reveal  to 
his  creatures  things  which  at  a  later  period  it  took 
years  and  all  the  patience  and  ingenuity  of  man  to 
accomplish;  and  in  perusing  the  history  of  the  Israel 
ites,  the  chosen  people  of  Jehovah,  we  find  that  similar 
revelations  have  been  very  frequent. 

When  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel  seceded  from  the  tribe 
of  Judah,  the  favors  of  the  Lord  were  equally  divided 


INTRODUCTION.  5 

between  the  two  nations,  both  of  whom  either  pros 
pered  or  were  punished  according  to  their  deeds;  and 
the  Bible  continues  to  speak  of  either  as  the  chosen 
people  up  to  the  period  of  the  Assyrian  captivity,  when 
the  record  of  the  Israelites  abruptly  closes.  Some  time 
after  the  destruction  of  Samaria,  the  kings  and  the 
people  of  Judah  adopted  the  same  evil  course,  followed 
by  the  Israelites;  and  they  in  turn  were  given  into  the 
hands  of  their  enemy  Nebuchadnezzar,  who  carried 
them  captive  to  Babylon.  But  after  a  season  of  suffer- 
ing,  and  when,  it  seems,  they  began  to  repent  of  their 
evil  doings,  the  children  of  Judah  were  liberated  and 
permitted  to  go  home  and  to  rebuild  their  destroyed 
cities,  whereas  of  the  ten  tribes  of  Israel  it  is  written, 
They  were  carried  away  out  of  their  own  land  to 
Assyria  unto  this  day.  And  now  the  question  arises, 
Were  the  Israelites  so  utterly  debased,  so  utterly  aban 
doned,  as  to  be  unable  to  return  to  the  God  of  their 
fathers  ?  I  cannot  and  do  not  believe  this ;  for  not  un- 
frequently  we  see  that  the  greatest  and  most  obstinate 
sinners  repent  of  their  wickedness  and  are  pardoned. 
Why  could  not  this  have  been  the  case  with  at  least  a 
part  of  the  once  chosen  people  of  the  Lord?  and  why 
should  it  be  impossible  that  in  the  Bed  men  of  our 
forests  we  behold  the  descendants  of  the  lost  tribes  of 
Israel ? 

The  physical  differences,  particularly  that  of  color, 
between  our  Red  neighbors  and  our  own  race  it  is  not 

very  difficult  to  account  for,  if  we  take  into  consider- 

i* 


6  INTRODUCTION. 

ation,  firstly,  That  the  sons  of  Jacob,  in  all  probability, 
were  not  so  delicately  organized,  nor  so  white,  as  our 
selves,  but  most  likely  were  a  medium  between  us  and 
our  modern  Indians;  and,  secondly,  the  many  powerful 
agencies  at  the  command  of  nature.  Sometimes  these 
agencies  are  perceptible,  as,  for  instance,  the  difference 
of  climate;  but  oftener  they  are  secret;  and  now  and 
then  we  see  a  person  who  has  been  rescued  from  the 
very  brink  of  the  grave,  whose  appearance  and  color, 
after  such  restoration,  are  so  much  changed  that  re 
cognition  becomes  almost  impossible.  But  let  all  this 
be  as  it  may,  so  much  is  certain,  that  our  aborigines 
belong  to  the  one  great  family  of  man,  and,  if  the  Bible 
is  right,  they  must  be  descendants  of  Adam  and  Eve. 

In  the  following  pages  I  have  followed  the  children 
of  Israel  into  their  captivity,  and,  after  a  season  of 
almost  unendurable  hardships,  I  have  seen  them  brought 
to  a  just  sense  of  their  situation. 

I  have  shown  how  they  repented  of  their  former 
sinful  life,  and  how  in  consequence  they  were  informed, 
in  a  vision  sent  by  Jehovah,  of  the  only  means  by  which 
they  might  escape  their  cruel  oppressors. 

As  the  Ark  had  been  the  means  of  preserving  Noah 
and  his  family  when  all  mankind  were  destroyed  by  the 
deluge,  so  a  ship  or  ark  became  the  means  by  which  the 
Israelites  were  freed  from  their  enemies.  In  a  vessel 
constructed  after  a  model  seen  by  one  of  their  number 
in  a  dream,  the  captives  sailed  down  the  river  Tigris, 
and,  under  the  direction  and  guidance  of  divine  Provi- 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

dence,  they  at  last  came  to  this  country,  where  they 
became  the  founders  of  the  race  of  Eed  Men. 

I  am  not  presumptuous  enough  to  assert  that  my 
book  has  been  written  by  divine  inspiration ;  yet  I  may 
be  permitted  to  say  that,  as  all  our  faculties  and  thoughts 
belong  to  and  come  from  our  Creator,  it  may  not  be 
regarded  as  presumption  when  I  say  that  there  is  every 
possibility  of  my  being  as  near  the  truth  as  most  writers 
of  ancient  history. 

THE  AUTHOR. 

PHILADELPHIA,  February,  1861. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.  PAGE 

THE  COT  OF  THE  OLD  ISRAELITE 11 

CHAPTER  II. 
STARTLING  REVELATIONS 23 

CHAPTER  III. 
THE  DREAM 39 

CHAPTER  IV. 
HERMIONE 54 

CHAPTER  V. 
DETERMINATION 63 

CHAPTER  VI. 
THE  FLIGHT 73 

CHAPTER  VII. 
THE  DAT  AFTER  THE  FLIGHT 98 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
DEPARTURE  AND  JOURNEY ,.  121 


10  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  IX.  PAGE 

THE  FIRST  INHABITANTS  or  AMERICA 158 

CHAPTER  X. 
DEATH  OF  MORDECAI,  AND  SEPARATION 172 

CHAPTER  XI. 
THE  GHOSTS,  AND  THE  SOLEMN  WARNING 186 

CHAPTER  XII. 
THE  EARTHQUAKE,  AND  ITS  CONSEQUENCES 230 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
OMAR  AND  HIS  FRIENDS 285 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
CHOW-WAUK-HEE,  THE  FIRST  or  THE  RED  MEN 305 


THE 


LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE   COT   OF   THE   OLD  ISKAELITE. 

IT  was  about  six  years  after  the  destruction 
of  Samaria,  that,  on  a  dark  and  stormy  night  of 
the  latter  part  of  the  month  of  April,  there 
were  assembled,  in  a  small  building  near  the 
ancient  city  of  Nineveh,  three  men,  whose  un 
mistakable  types  proclaimed  them  children  of 
subjugated  and  captive  Israel. 

The  house,  a  dilapidated  one-story  frame  struc 
ture,  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  well-cultivated 
and  extensive  garden,  was  inhabited  by  Mor- 
decai,  an  old  Jew  with  bald  head  and  long, 
flowing  beard  of  snowy  whiteness,  whose  skill 
L.  the  art  of  horticulture  had  secured  for  him 
this  tenement  at  a  reasonable  rent,  payable  in 
flowers,  fruit  and  vegetables,  and  where  he 


11 


12  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

managed  to  lead  a  comparatively  free  and  com 
fortable  life. 

His  only  assistant  and  companion,  a  handsome 
youth  of  eighteen  years  of  age,  in  whose  veins 
coursed  the  royal  blood  of  Jehu,  and  who  called 
old  Mordecai  "uncle,"  might  have  been  seen, 
about  two  hours  before  the  opening  of  my  story, 
disguised  as  a  beggar,  and  his  face  concealed  by 
a  slouched  hat,  wending  his  way  through  several 
dark  and  narrow  streets  of  Nineveh,  until  he 
came  to  a  small  but  strongly-fastened  door  in 
the  rear  of  a  magnificent  palatial  mansion  front 
ing  the  principal  street  of  the  city. 

Arrived  here,  he  sought  the  shelter  of  some 
overhanging  trees,  and,  putting  both  hands  to 
his  mouth,  imitated  the  shrill  cry  of  an  owl; 
then,  after  slowly  and  deliberately  counting  one 
hundred,  he  repeated  the  cry,  and,  throwing 
himself  flat  on  the  ground,  patiently  waited. 

At  that  instant  footsteps  were  heard  ap 
proaching  his  place  of  concealment,  and,  by  the 
light  of  a  shaded  lantern,  he  recognised  one  of 
the  guardians  of  the  night,  who  since  the  ar 
rival  of  the  captive  Israelites  patrolled  the  small 
streets  and  alleys  of  the  town  after  a  certain 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  13 

hour,  and  who  generally  were  armed  to  the 
teeth,  so  as  to  be  ready  for  any  emergency. 
Lamech — for  that  was  the  youth's  name — noise 
lessly  glided  into  the  deep  shadow  of  a  large 
wood-pile,  and  presently  saw  the  man  passing, 
cursing  and  swearing  at  the  inclement  weather 
and  the  uselessness  of  his  toilsome  task. 

"Curses  on  these  Jewish  dogs!"  Lamech  heard 
him  mutter:  "curses  on  them,  for  a  rascally, 
thieving  set!  Were  it  not  for  them,  I  now 
might  snugly  and  comfortably  sit  by  my  own 
fireside,  listening  to  the  sweet  voice  of  my 
dear  Mulina.  Ha !  should  I  once  be  fortunate 
enough  to  find  one  of  this  detested  race  where  I 
could  lay  my  hands  on  him !  But,  by  the  beard 
of  Shalmanezer,  I  believe  it  best  for  me  to  go 
to  my  home ;  for  in  a  night  like  this  no  cowardly 
son  of  Israel  will  dare  to  cross  his  threshold. 
My  watch  is  not  to  be  ended  before  the  breaking 
of  another  day;  and  then  I  shall  be  at  my  post 
again.  So  farewell  storm  and  tempest,  and  wel 
come  my  own  bright  home !" 

With  this  that  trusty  guardsman  kept  on  his 
solitary  walk;  and  soon  the  sound  of  his  receding 
footsteps  died  away  in  the  distance.  Lamech 


14  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

then  came  forth  out  of  his  place  of  shelter,  and, 
again  approaching  the  small  door,  uttered  the 
sharp  cry  of  a  dog  three  times  in  rapid  suc 
cession. 

This  time  his  patience  was  rewarded ;  for 
scarcely  had  the  last  note  of  his  voice  died  on 
the  air,  when  the  startled  cry  of  a  frightened 
cat  fell  on  his  ear,  at  almost  the  same  time  a 
key  was  inserted  in  the  afore-mentioned  door, 
and  a  moment  later  Lamech  found  himself  face 
to  face  with  a  swarthy  man,  apparently  about 
forty  years  of  age. 

The  new-comer,  whose  sinewy  and  well-knit 
frame  might  have  been  envied  by  a  Hercules, 
was  one  of  those  rarely-seen  men  whose  whole 
appearance  inspires  respect  and  confidence.  His 
open  countenance  and  noble,  lofty  brow  spoke 
of  goodness  of  heart,  while  his  finely-cut  but 
firmly-set  mouth  denoted  a  firmness  of  character 
and  a  strength  of  determination  which  were  not 
to  be  shaken. 

The  first  greetings  over,  and  after  a  brief 
consultation,  Harim,  (such  was  the  stranger's 
name,)  who  served  as  head  steward  in  the  king's 
own  household,  followed  Lamech  up  several 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  15 

other  small  streets,  until  they  arrived  at  another 
small  private  door,  which  led  to  the  mansion 
of  the  king's  prime  minister,  Almanzor.  Here 
they  again  succeeded,  by  means  of  the  same 
signals  used  by  Lamech  at  the  king's  gate,  in 
quickly  bringing  out  Nahum,  the  head  groom 
of  Almanzor. 

Another  brief  consultation  ensued,  after  which 
the  trio,  now  hurrying  on  fearlessly,  took  their 
way  straight  to  the  eastern  gate. 

Suddenly  the  startling  "Who's  there?"  of  a 
night-patrol  brought  them  to  a  stand,  and  the 
leader  of  the  guard,  whose  weather-beaten  and 
sunburnt  face  bespoke  the  soldier  of  many  bat 
tles,  confronted  them,  and  would,  without  further 
ceremony,  have  consigned  them  to  the  custody 
of  his  followers,  had  not  Harim  uttered  a  com 
manding  "  Halt !"  Then,  thrusting  his  hand  in 
his  bosom,  he  produced  a  roll  of  parchment 
covered  with  curiously-shaped  characters,  and 
to  the  bottom  of  which  was  affixed  the  royal 
seal.  At  seeing  this,  the  soldier  bowed  deeply, 
and,  in  an  attitude  of  profound  respect,  offered 
to  our  wanderers  the  services  of  himself  and 
followers.  Harim,  who  knew  what  effect  that 


16  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

parchment  would  produce,  was  still  pleased 
with  this  turn  of  affairs,  and,  requesting  to  be 
led  out  of  the  gate,  then  bade  the  guard  return 
and  resume  their  usual  duties. 

As  the  reader  may,  most  naturally,  wonder 
how  a  simple  roll  of  parchment  could  produce 
such  an  effect  on  a  personage  of  so  much  import 
ance  as  the  leader  of  a  nigh1>guard,  I  hasten 
to  inform  him  that  in  those  days  of  warfare, 
when  the  strictest  watch  was  kept  both  by  day 
and  by  night,  there  were  some  persons  who, 
through  some  means  or  other,  were  favored  with 
an  unlimited  passport,  sealed  with  the  king's 
own  private  signet,  and  which  authorized  the 
bearer  to  go,  either  single  or  accompanied  by 
one  or  two  friends,  wherever  he  pleased,  at  any 
hour,  night  or  day;  and,  as  all  persons  so  favored 
were  naturally  supposed  to  be  on  the  best  terms 
with  the  king,  the  attentions  shown  them  by  all 
public  officials  were  generally  equal  to  those 
shown  to  the  ruler  himself,  as,  moreover,  it 
would  have  been  punishment,  dishonor,  and 
even  death  to  any  one  who  should  have  dared 
to  question  or  disregard  the  royal  will. 

Now,  Harim  had  some  time  previous  succeeded 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  17 

in  rendering  the  king  a  signal  service  in  ferret 
ing  out  and  disclosing  a  conspiracy  to  assassinate 
the  monarch  by  two  of  his  chamberlains.  The 
conspirators  were  secretly  executed;  and  Harim 
was  favored  with  an  unlimited  passport,  at  his 
own  request, — this  seeming  to  him  the  most  useful 
and  consequently  the  most  valuable  reward,  as 
the  Israelites  in  particular  were  subjected  to  the 
closest  and  not  unfrequently  most  painful  sur 
veillance. 

Safely  out  of  the  gate,  our  three  friends  hur 
ried  to  old  Mordecai's  dwelling,  where,  on  giving 
a  peculiar  signal,  the  two  strangers  were  in 
stantly  admitted,  while  Lamech  remained  out 
side,  and  stationed  himself  in  such  a  position 
as  to  guard  most  effectually  the  only  approach 
to  the  house. 

After  being  warmly  welcomed  by  old  Mor- 
decai,  Harim  and  Nahum  were  invited  into  an 
inner  room,  which  was  furnished  in  the  simplest 
manner,  and  where  the  reader  first  made  their 
acquaintance. 

Nahum  was  a  man  about  thirty-five  years 
of  age,  of  medium  size,  rather  slender;  but  an 
attentive  observer  might  have  detected  an  un- 

B  2* 


18  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

common  strength  of  muscle.  His  noble  fore 
head,  finely-arched  brows,  overshadowing  a  pair 
of  eyes  fiery,  and  black  as  the  raven's  wing,  a 
Roman  nose,  a  mouth  almost  feminine  in  its 
exquisite  cut,  and  a  well-rounded  chin,  would 
have  rendered  him  a  fit  model  for  the  painter 
and  sculptor  as  the  personification  of  manly 
beauty.  His  hair  and  beard,  both  well  culti 
vated  after  the  fashion  of  his  countrymen,  were 
of  the  same  color  as  the  eyes ;  and,  while  his 
frank  and  open  countenance  spoke  of  goodness 
of  heart,  the  determined  curve  of  his  upper  lip 
denoted  undaunted  firmness  and  inflexibility  of 
purpose. 

He  was  the  elder  brother  of  Lamech,  and  per 
haps  would  even  now  have  sat  on  the  throne 
of  his  fathers,  had  Israel  not  lost  her  indepen 
dence. 

Mordecai  was  an  old  man  of  threescore  and 
ten,  and  apparently  had  been  very  strong  and 
decidedly  handsome  in  glorious  youth ;  but  now 
he  was  a  mere  wreck.  Care  and  sorrow  had  bent 
that  once  powerful  frame,  the  sight  of  his  dark 
eyes  was  dimmed,  and  his  once  glossy  black  hair 
was  now  shaved  off  by  the  hand  of  Time,  while 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  19 

his  still  long  and  flowing  beard,  once  of  the  same 
color  with  his  hair,  had  assumed  the  color  of 
fresh-fallen  snow. 

Harim  is  already  sufficiently  introduced  to 
the  reader,  so  as  to  make  it  only  necessary  here 
to  say  that  he  too  was  a  descendant  of  the  royal 
house  of  Jehu. 

"Children,"  commenced  old  Mordecai,  in  a 
low  and  sorrowful  voice,  after  all  three  had  been 
seated,  '"I  have  once  more  called  you  to  my 
humble  abode,  that  I  might  speak  to  you  of  the 
trials  and  hopes  of  our  unfortunate  brethren. 

"To  us  they  look  for  consolation ;  in  us  all 
their  hopes  and  trust  are  centred.  You,  my 
noble  nephews,  have  already  done  much  to 
lighten  our  burdens,  to  kindle  anew  the  hopes 
of  our  desponding  countrymen.  By  your  per 
severance  and  unflinching  attention  to  your  hard 
duties  you  have  succeeded  in  gaining  the  esteem 
and  the  confidence  of  the  two  most  powerful  men 
of  this  heathen  nation.  Thanks  to  you,  the 
severest  trials  of  captive  Israel  have  -passed,  the 
terrible  persecution  has  ceased.  But  when  will 
captive  Israel  be  free  ?  When  will  we  be  allowed 
to  pray  to  Jehovah,  after  the  manner  of  our 


20  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

fathers,  publicly,  openly,  without  fear  of  molest 
ation,  ay,  of  even  death  ? 

"  Shalmanezer  and  his  prime  minister  are  the 
two  most  powerful  men  of  this  nation,  it  is  true ; 
and  equally  true  it  is  that  through  you  we  may 
call  them  our  friends;  but  they  dare  not  openly 
act  against  the  will  of  the  combined  masses,  and 
these,  alas !  are  against  us.  When,  oh,  when  will 
the  hour  of  Israel's  freedom  strike  ?" 

Here  the  old  man  ceased:  overcome  by  his 
sorrow  and  bowed  down  by  grief,  he  sank  back 
in  utter  exhaustion. 

A  silence  of  about  five  minutes'  duration  en 
sued,  after  which  Nahum  arose  and  advanced 
to  his  aged  relative,  whose  hands  he  took  and 
carried  affectionately  to  his  lips. 

"  Uncle,"  he  said,  in  a  clear,  melodious,  and 
manly  voice, — "uncle,  nay,  more  than  that, 
father,  let  not  your  sorrows  affect  you  thus. 
Are  not,  as  you  said  yourself  just  now,  our 
severest  trials  passed  ?  Are  not  we  yet  strong 
and  healthy?  Is  not  the  whole  universe  a 
Canaan  to  those  who  but  have  the  will  to  make 
it  so?  And,  above  all,  have  we  not  our  re 
spected,  wise,  and  good  old  uncle  Mordecai  still 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  21 

among  us  ?  Who  has  ever  done  more  to  raise 
the  drooping  spirits  of  a  nation  than  you,  my 
father  ?  You  have  given  a  new  impulse  to  our 
hopes.  When,  three  vears  ago,  you,  disguised 
as  an  outcast  and  a  beggar  bereft  of  reason, 
traversed  this  country,  regardless  of  death  and 
dangers  that  beset  you  on  every  side,  to  console 
our  despairing  brethren  and  to  devise  means  for 
lightening  their  heavy  burdens,  we  trembled, 
and  on  our  bended  knees  we  besought  Jehovah 
to  watch  over  you  and  lead  you  safely  back. 
Thanks  to  God,  you  did  return;  ay,  and  you 
succeeded  in  your  noble  mission. 

"  Two  hundred  strong  and  able  men  of  Israel, 
with  their  families,  are  at  this  moment  assembled 
in  subterranean  chambers,  constructed  under 
almost  insurmountable  difficulties  and  with  al 
most  superhuman  efforts,  beneath  our  feet. 

"  Thanks  to  your  good  management,  all  these 
people  are  sufficiently  provided  with  every  thing 
needful;  and,  although  we  do  not  know  how 
you  contrived  to  construct  these  subterranean 
vaults,  or  to  bring  so  many  human  beings  safely, 
and  in  spite  of  all  the  watchfulness  of  our  ene 
mies,  to  your  so  greatly  exposed  cot,  nor  what 


22  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

your  final  purpose  may  be,  still  we  know  that 
the  latter  cannot  but  be  for  the  good  of  Israel ; 
and  we  here  once  more  repeat  the  assurance 
that  we  shall  be  with  you  even  unto  death." 

"  Ay,  unto  death !"  repeated  Harim. 

"  What  we  may  have  done,"  resumed  Nahum, 
"  to  gain  the  good  will  of  our  masters,  was  done 
by  your  advice ;  and  happy  are  we  if  this  will 
add  to  the  interest  of  our  unhappy  countrymen. 

"But,  ha!  what  is  that?" 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  23 


CHAPTER  II. 

STARTLING  REVELATIONS. 

THE  shrill  cry  of  an  owl  was  heard  three  times 
in  rapid  succession ;  and  at  the  same  time  some 
one  stealthily  entered  the  outer  room  of  the  cot. 

With  an  agility  marvellous  in  one  so  old, 
the  aged  Mordecai  jumped  off  his  seat,  and, 
hurrying  to  a  corner  of  the  room,  he  lifted  a 
secret  trap-door.  Nahum  and  Harim  fortunately 
understood  the  old  man  at  once,  and,  without 
waiting  for  an  explanation,  disappeared  through 
the  aperture ;  whereupon  Mordecai  replaced  the 
door,  and,  as  if  nothing  had  happened,  quietly  sat 
down  and  resumed  the  reading  of  an  old  manu 
script,  from  time  to  time  examining  some  rare 
plants  placed  in  an  earthen  vase  on  a  rude  deal 
table  before  him, — an  occupation  in  which  he  had 
been  interrupted  by  the  entrance  of  his  nephews. 
Presently  a  knock  was  heard  on  the  outer  door  of 
the  cot,  and,  before  it  could  be  repeated,  a  sleepy 
"  Who's  there  ?"  uttered  by  Lamech,  greeted  the 


24  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

intruder.  A  hurried  consultation  between  uncle 
and  nephew  followed,  whereupon  the  door  was 
opened,  and  the  leader  of  the  guard,  who  had  led 
Harim  and  his  followers  out  of  the  city-gate, 
entered,  followed  by  three  of  his  men.  .The 
glimmer  of  a  light  which  was  to  be  seen  through 
the  chinks  of  the  inner  door  at  once  guided  the 
visitor  to  the  inner  room,  where  he  found  the  old 
man  engaged  with  his  plants  and  manuscript. 

"  Rather  late  for  work,"  was  the  soldier's 
greeting. 

"Better  late  than  never,"  was  the  calm  re 
sponse. 

"  But,"  resumed  our  hero  of  many  battles,  "  it 
seems  somewhat  unusual  to  find  a  man  of  your 
age  working  at  a  time  when  everybody  else  is 
courting  sleep." 

"  It  would  not  seem  so  to  thee,  if  thou  oftener 
didst  leave  the  city-limits  at  this  time  of  night. 
Old  Mordecai's  time  is  too  precious  to  be  thrown 
away  by  much  repose,  or  by  much  interruption, 
either :  so  oblige  me  by  stating  to  what  I  am 
indebted  for  this  untimely  visit,  as  I  am  just 
now  engaged  with  some  rare  plants,  to  be  intro 
duced  in  our  gracious  king's  private  garden." 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  25 

For  a  moment  the  soldier  was  taken  aback  by 
this  coolness;  but  soon,  collecting  himself,  he 
said,  in  a  tone  of  severity,  "The  two  Jews, 
Harim,  the  king's  head  steward,  and  Nahum, 
the  prime  minister's  head  groom,  were  seen  about 
an  hour  ago  to  leave  the  city,  in  company  with 
a  lame  beggar ;  and,  as  there  is  a  strong  suspicion 
of  their  being  involved  in  a  conspiracy  to  free 
their  fellow- Jews  at  any  cost,  even  by  assassin 
ating  our  most  gracious  sovereign  and  his  min 
isters,  which  was  revealed  to  Shalmanezer  not 
half  an  hour  ago,  I  just  now  received  a  royal 
order  not  to  allow  any  one  to  leave  the  city. 
Now,  the  two  very  men  thus  suspected  actually 
did  pass  the  gate;  which  fact  most  naturally  led 
us  to  the  belief,  ay,  conviction,  that  the  story  of 
their  being  really  involved  is  true ;  and,  as  you 
are  known  to  be  their  friend,  I  have  come  to  the 
conclusion  that  they  must  have  come  hither  to 
ask,  if  not  your  co-operation,  at  least  your 
counsel;  and,  unless  therefore  you  are  able  to 
give  the  most  reliable  proof  to  the  contrary,  I 
shall  be  under  the  necessity  of  taking  you  with 
me?  together  with  your  assistant,  whom  I  strongly 


26  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

suspect  to  be  more  closely  acquainted  with  the 
lame  beggar  than  he  may  wish  me  to  know." 

Here  was  a  sad  predicament  for  old  Mordecai. 
How  could  he  prove  to  the  soldier's  satisfaction 
that  the  men  named  had  not  called  upon  him  ? 
and,  furthermore,  was  there  not  every  reason  to 
suppose  that  Lamech  had  been  recognized  in 
spite  of  his  disguise  ?  To  be  taken  by  the  guard 
would  have  been  certain  destruction,  not  only 
to  them,  but  to  all  their  friends ;  for,  suspicion 
once  thrown  into  that  channel,  it  was  not  at  all 
unlikely  that  the  habitation  of  Mordecai  would 
soon  be  levelled  to  the  ground  in  quest  of  the 
fugitives,  and  then  the  entrance  to  the  subter 
ranean  chambers  would  surely  not  escape  de 
tection,  thereby  frustrating  their  last  hopes  and 
rendering  worse  than  vain  the  labor  of  years. 

All  this  at  once  flashed  upon  the  mind  of  the 
old  man ;  and,  although  usually  calm  and  brave, 
he  was  for  the  moment  confounded.  But  soon 
he  rallied,  and,  throwing  himself,  utter  despair 
depicted  in  his  countenance,  at  the  captain's 
feet,  he  confessed  all,  and,  imploring  the  soldier's 
mercy  for  himself  and  Lamech,  he  promised  to 
show  the  retreat  of  his  nephews. 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  27 

It  was  a  bold  game  the  old  Jew  played ;  but 
here  was  an  emergency,  and  all  must  be  risked, 
or  all  would  be  lost. 

Lamech  was  thunder-struck.  Would  he,  the 
brave,  the  good  Mordecai,  really  betray  his 
friends  ?  It  passed  all  comprehension. 

But  this  terrible  doubt  was  to  last  only  one 
moment;  for,  an  instant  after,  on  raising  his 
eyes,  he  met  the  glance  of  the  old  gardener, — a 
glance  so  full  of  meaning,  so  full  of  confidence, 
that  all  his  misgivings  fled  at  once;  and, 
uniting  his  lamentations  and  implorings  for 
mercy  with  those  of  his  uncle,  they  both  suc 
ceeded  in  making  the  guardsman  believe  in  their 
sincerity  to  such  an  extent  that  the  leader  kindly 
promised  them  all  the  assistance  in  his  power  if 
he  should  only  find  those  he  was  after. 

On  the  trap-door  being  raised  a  second  time, 
the  captain  of  the  guard,  whose  name  was 
Bareck,  rushed  past  the  old  man,  followed  by  all 
his  men ;  and  such  were  their  impetuosity  and 
haste  to  capture  the  two  most  hated  of  all  the 
Israelites,  who  had  succeeded  in  obtaining  the 
most  responsible  as  well  as  the  most  confidential 
situations  in  the  households  of  the  two  most 


28  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

powerful  men  in  all  Assyria,  under  circum 
stances  which,  to  say  the  least,  looked  suspicious 
enough  to  hurl  them  from  their  high  positions, 
that — fortunately  for  Mordecai  and  his  friends — 
they  never  thought  of  securing  a  safe  retreat ; 
nor  did  they  heed  a  shrill  whistle  sounded  by 
Lamech,  who  followed  on  their  heels. 

Arrived  at  a  point  where  the  light  from 
above  failed  to  penetrate,  Bareck  found  himself 
and  followers  enveloped  in  utter  darkness.  At 
the  same  time  the  trap-door  again  creaked  in  its 
hinges  and,  with  a  dull  sound,  fell  back  in  its 
place,  thus  burying  the  four  guardsmen  in  the 
bowels  of  the  earth.  Presently  the  faint  glim 
mer  of  a  light  appeared  in  the  distance,  and,  with 
an  ejaculation  of  wild  joy,  the  captain  bounded 
forward;  for  he  had  recognized  the  person  of  our 
friend  Harim;  and,  brandishing  his  cutlass,  he 
ordered  his  followers  to  secure  the  Jewish  dogs 
at  once. 

But  his  joy  and  exultation  were  destined  to 
be  of 'short  duration;  for,  on  nearing  the  place 
where  Harim  stood,  torch  in  hand,  he  beheld 
Nahum,  armed  with  sword  and  shield,  at  the 
head  of  a  company  of  armed  men,  while  at  his 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  29 

back  the  frightened  cries  of  his  followers  told 
him  that  they  were  overthrown  and  now  being 
secured  by  another  party. 

The  bravado  of  the  soldier  at  once  took  to 
its  heels ;  and,  sinking  on  his  knees,  he  in  turn 
now  implored  the  mercy  of  old  Mordecai,  who 
had  just  joined  his  friends. 

In  a  few  words  the  old  man  informed  his 
nephews  how  matters  stood,  and  why  he  had 
thought  it  best  to  pursue  the  course  he  had 
taken, — when  Nahum,  who  had  been  an  attentive 
listener,  after  commending  what  his  uncle  had 
done,  confronted  the  prostrate  Bareck,  and,  with 
the  air  of  a  ruler,  commanded  him  to  arise. 

Trembling  in  all  his  limbs,  the  captain  arose 
and  stood  before  the  royal  Nahum,  as  stands  the 
wretched  criminal  before  his  stern  judge,  await 
ing  his  last  earthly  sentence. 

"  Who  sent  you  Either  ?"  Nahum  asked,  in  a 
deep,  solemn  tone. 

No  answer. 

"Were  you  sent?" 

Still  no  answer. 

"  I  know  you,"  Nahum  continued.  "  I  know 
that  you  were  not  sent.  As  true  as  my  God 

3* 


30  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

lives,  we  never  were  engaged  in  any  conspiracy 
whatever, — least  of  all  against  the  lives  of  our 
masters;  and  our  masters  know  it.  They  did 
not  send  you.  But  we  have  enemies,  cruel,  un 
relenting  enemies,  who  will  not  hesitate  at  any 
thing  to  destroy  us.  You  are  one  of  those.  You 
are  the  kinsman  of  Amalech,  the  arch-traitor, 
who  would  have  imbrued  his  hands  in  the  blood 
of  his  sovereign  but  for  my  friend  Harim,  who, 
happily,  discovered  and  frustrated  the  hellish 
design.  Twice  have  you  sued  for  the  position 
in  Almanzor's  household  which  I  occupy,  and 
twice  were  you  disappointed. 

"  Cause  enough  for  one  like  you  for  revenge, 
• — deadly  revenge  :  so  you  swore  to  destroy  us ; 
and  I  know  that,  had  it  not  been  for  the  royal 
passport,  you  would  have  assassinated  us  in 
front  of  the  guard-house;  but  you  feared  the 
just  wrath  of  your  king,  which  would  surely 
have  overtaken  you  had  he  found  his  royal 
will  set  at  naught.  You  therefore  thought  to 
work  out  your  fell  purpose  surer  and  better 
by  following  us  hither  and  slaying  not  only  us, 
but  also  those  here,  who  never  harmed  you,  that 
it  might  seem  as  though  we  had  fallen  victims 


THE  FIRST  OF  THE   RED  MEN".  31 

to  the  unjust  wrath  of  thy  countrymen,  like  so 
many  before  us.  But  for  once  you  have  been 
grievously  mistaken.  You  are  in  our  power  now; 
and  although  we  disdain  to  take  the  life  of  such 
as  you,  still,  a  regard  for  the  safety  of  these,  of 
whom  one  is  worth  more  than  hundreds  of  you, 
compels  us  to  keep  you  until  you  can  harm  us 
no  more.  Before  consigning  you  to  your  tempo 
rary  prison,  however,  I  would  first  hear  all 
thou  knowest  concerning  us  and  those  we  love ; 
for  well  am  I  aware  that  it  is  you  above  all 
who  are  in  possession  of  more  secrets  concerning 
the  court  and  its  surroundings  than  any  other  man 
in  Nineveh.  Speak,  therefore,  if  thou  valuest 
whole  limbs;  for,  by  the  living  God  of  my  fathers, 
I  will  have  thee  tortured  until  the  torn  frag 
ments  of  thy  polluted  carcass  strew  the  ground, 
if  you  conceal  or  disguise  aught  of  what  you 
know." 

With  this  Nahum  made  a  sign  to  some  of  his 
followers;  whereupon  four  stout  men  brought 
forth  a  rude  bench,  covered  with  nails  and 
screws  of  peculiar  workmanship.  At  the  sight 
of  this  contrivance  poor  Bareck  again  fell  on  his 
knees. 


32  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

"  Oh,  have  mercy !"  he  cried,  in  the  most  sup 
plicating  tones.  "  Spare  me !  do  not  torture  me ! 
I  dare  not  disclose  any  thing;  for  I  am  bound 
to  secrecy  by  the  most  solemn  oath." 

But  Nahum  was  inflexible. 

"  What  is  your  oath  ?"  he  said.  "  It  is  not  sworn 
by  the  only  living  God,  whom  you  do  not  acknow 
ledge  ;  and  all  other  swearing  is  but  profanation. 
Yet  fain  would  I  leave  thee;  for  I  do  not  like  to 
make  you  break  your  word,  in  addition  to  your 
other  sins.  But  the  holiest  interests  of  a  nation 
demand  that  we  should  know  all;  and  therefore, 
executioners,  do  your  work." 

The  wretched  captain  felt  himself  lifted  up  by 
stout  arms  and  thrown  on  the  bench,  on  the 
sharp  nails  and  screws.  His  feet  were  then 
thrust  between  two  logs  of  wood,  on  each  end 
of  which  were  two  screws,  which  the  execu 
tioners  began  to  tighten.  Slowly  the  stout  logs 
were  drawn  together:  yet  with  some  fortitude 
the  soldier  endured  his  pains.  But  the  men 
continued  their  labor.  Nearer  and  nearer  the 
logs  came  together,  until  human  nature  could 
hold  out  no  longer,  and,  with  a  last  effort,  Bareck 
cried  out,  "  Stop!  I  will  confess !" 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN".  33 

The  screws  were  at  once  loosened,  the  almost 
flattened  legs  of  the  unfortunate  man  bathed  in 
cold  water,  and  every  effort  was  made  to  lessen  the 
almost  unendurable  pain.  Bareck  had  fainted; 
but,  after  an  hour  of  assiduous  labor,  he  opened 
his  eyes  and  consciousness  returned.  At  sight 
of  the  torturing-machine  he  shuddered,  and  at 
once  signified  his  intention  to  confess  all  he 
knew. 

"I  am,"  he  commenced,  "as  you  know,  the 
captain  of  the  city-guard,  but  obtained  that 
post  only  through  the  intercession  of  some 
powerful  friends  and  relations,  chief  of  whom 
was  my  kinsman  Amalech,  then  first  chamber 
lain  of  Shalmanezer. 

"  Before  the  capture  of  the  Israelites,  Shalma 
nezer  was  all  we  his  subjects  could  wish  him  to 
be :  he  was  in  truth  the  father  of  his  country. 
But  after  the  destruction  of  Samaria,  and  when 
the  captives  had  been  brought  to  our  city,  our 
king  one  day  met  a  maiden  of  your  nation ;  and 
so  smitten  was  he  with  her  charms  that  forth 
with  his  whole  nature  became  changed.  He 
only  lived  in  the  smiles  of  his  beloved  Abi;  and 
not  only  was  her  every  wish  gratified,  but  from 


34  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

that  day  Shalmanezer  began  to  prefer  the 
Israelites  to  his  own  Assyrians,  and  more  than 
one  hint  was  thrown  out  that  he  even  forsook 
the  gods  of  our  fathers  and  turned  to  the 
religion  of  the  despised  Jewrs.  Then  it  was 
that  the  king  lost  the  love  and  confidence  of  his 
subjects;  and  on  you  and  Harim  being  raised  to 
the  high  positions  you  now  occupy,  the  former 
love  was  turned  into  intense  hatred.  Conspi 
racies  against  the  once-worshipped  ruler  were 
formed  nearly  every  week;  and  the  most  promi 
nent  one — that  of  the  two  head  chamberlains — 
would  have  succeeded  beyond  all  doubt,  but  for 
the  interference  of  Harim.  From  the  first  I 
was  chosen  by  the  disaffected  people  to  ferret 
out  all  the  secrets  of  the  court  and  its  immediate 
surroundings,  and  to  spread  the  discontent  as 
far  as  I  could.  My  office  as  captain  of  the 
guard  brought  me  in  constant  intercourse  with 
the  officers  of  the  king's  and  his  minister's  house 
holds  ;  and  thus  I  was  enabled  to  render  many 
valuable  services  to  my  employers.  I  was  not 
long  in  finding  out  the  esteem  in  which  your 
friend  and  you  were  held  by  your  masters;  and, 
after  the  explosion  of  the  last  conspiracy  and 


THE   FIRST   OF  THE   RED  MEN.  35 

the  subsequent  execution  of  my  friend  and  kins 
man,  I  resolved  to  have  you  destroyed  first,  and 
this  very  night  was  to  witness  your  final  doom. 
When  I  saw  you  leave  the  city  an  hour  ago,  I 
would  at  once  have  detained  and  delivered  you 
to  your  executioners,  but  I  dared  not.  As  yet 
Shalmanezer  is  our  king;  and  it  might  have  cost 
my  head  had  it  been  found  out  that  Harim  had 
been  slain  or  captured  in  spite  of  his  having 
shown  me  his  passport;  and,  as  the  porter  then 
on  duty  at  the  eastern  gate  is  known  to  be  a 
staunch  adherent  of  the  royal  house,  my  detec 
tion  would  have  been  certain.  But  I  did  the 
next  best  thing  in  my  power:  I  despatched  one 
of  my  men  to  follow  you,  and  from  him  I  learned, 
fifteen  minutes  later,  where  you  had  gone.  Half 
an  hour  afterwards  I  was  relieved  by  one  of  my 
lieutenants,  and  then  without  delay  I  selected 
the  two  best  of  my  men  in  addition  to  the  one 
who  followed  you,  and,  without  even  hinting 
I  where  I  was  going,  I  at  once  turned  my  steps 
hitherward. 

"  This  is  what  I  know  concerning  you ;  but 
that  is  not  all.     I  know  one  thing  more.     You 


36  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

asked  me  concerning  those  whom  you  loved. 
And  whom  should  you  love  but  Hermione  ?" 

"  Ah !"  cried  Nahum,  eagerly,  "  what  of  Her 
mione?  Speak,  and  not  a  hair  on  your  head 
shall  be  harmed,  if  you  tell  me  truly." 

"The  king's  daughter  loves  you  most  sin 
cerely,"  Bareck  continued.  "When  she  first 
beheld  you  at  work  in  one  of  the  gardens  of 
Almanzor,  she  was  smitten  with  your  manly 
beauty,  but  more  so  with  the  undaunted  courage 
with  which  she  saw  you  bear  your  humble  lot, 
after  she  had  learned  what  and  who  you  were. 
'  Ah/  she  cried,  '  I  knew  he  was  royal :  none  but 
a  descendant  of  royalty  is  capable  of  a  fortitude 
so  noble  !'  And  from  that  day  her  heart  has  been 
yours.  Through  her  intercession  you  soon  rose 
to  the  office  of  head  groom ;  and  it  has  long 
since  ceased  to  be  a  secret  in  both  households 
that  she  will  wed  none  but  you.  Her  father's 
cousin,  Abimelech,  a  young  man  of  rank  and 
princely  fortune,  had  hitherto  considered  him 
self  the  destined  husband  of  the  maiden ;  and, 
on  his  becoming  acquainted  with  the  state  of 
affairs,  his  rage  knew  no  bounds.  He  would 
have  slain  you  with  his  own  hands,  had  he 


THE   FIRST  OF  THE  RED   MEN.  37 

dared.  He  tried  the  next  thing :  he  asked 
Almanzor  to  discharge  you  from  your  high 
position.  But  here  too  he  was  disappointed; 
for  the  resolution  of  Hermione  was  no  secret 
to  her  father,  and  he  loved  his  child  too  well 
to  allow  a  humiliation  so  public  to  be  inflicted 
on  the  innocent  object  of  her  most  affectionate 
regards.  Abimelech  then  sought  me,  and,  hold 
ing  out  a  really  princely  reward,  easily  suc 
ceeded  in  making  me  the  tool  with  which  to 
rid  the  earth  of  his  hated  rival.  Of  the  in 
terviews  you  had  with  the  lovely  Hermione, 
and  which  she  contrived  to  give  you  with  all 
the  ingenuity  of  her  sex,  I  need  hardly  speak ; 
but  of  many  a  one  have  I  been  a  concealed 
witness,  ready  to  plunge  the  steel  into  your 
heart,  should  a  sure  chance  offer.  You  are 
alive, — the  best  proof  that  such  a  chance  never 
offered ;  and  that  it  did  not  is  owing  to  the 
watchful  care  of  Hermione,  who  suspected  her 
cousin's  designs  from  the  first.  Toward  you  her 
heart  remains  unchanged;  but  whether  you 
will  ever  be  so  fortunate  as  to  call  her  your 
own  remains  to  be  seen, — as  all  the  people,  and 
particularly  the  nobles,  are  strenuously  opposed 


38  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

to  the  match,  and  the  king,  as  you  know,  has 
lost  too  much  of  his  power  to  dare  any  thing 
against  the  people's  will." 

Thus  far  went  Bareck's  revelation ;  and  Na- 
hum  knew  it  to  be  true  in  all  essential  points, — 
a  fact  of  which  the  captain  seems  to  have  been 
well  aware,  as  else  it  would  appear  most  sur 
prising  that  he  should  have  spoken  so  openly 
and  in  detail. 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED  MEN.  39 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE   DREAM. 

WHEN  Bareck  had  concluded,  lie  was  once 
more  assured  by  Nahum  that  he  and  his  men 
would  be  perfectly  safe,  but  that  his  own  and 
his  friends'  security  demanded  their  being  kept 
in  durance  up  to  a  certain  period,  which  was 
not  far  off;  and  then  the  four  Assyrians  were 
led  to  a  remote  part  of  the  cavern,  where  a 
stout  oaken  door  opened  into  a  good-sized  room, 
furnished  with  straw  pallets,  a  rude  deal  table, 
and  several  blocks  of  wood  which  served  as 
chairs ;  and  this  they  were  told  would  be  their 
temporary  residence. 

After  the  prisoners  had  thus  been  disposed  of, 
old  Mordecai  bade  his  friends  follow  him,  and, 
going  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  cavern,  he 
touched  a  secret  spring  in  the  rocky  wall,  where 
upon  a  huge  stone  slowly  turned  on  one  side 
and  revealed  to  the  eyes  of  his  astonished 
nephews  a  flight  of  three  steps,  which  led 


40  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL  \   OR, 

into  another  subterranean  chamber  of  vast  di 
mensions. 

This  large  cavern  was  almost  wholly  filled 
with  a  huge  structure  of  a  peculiar  shape,  now 
seeming  very  near  its  completion,  and  which 
Mordecai  ascended  by  means  of  a  ladder  placed 
against  its  side.  The  bottom  of  this  structure, 
composed  of  the  soundest  and  best  oak  timber 
that  could  have  been  found,  was  made  gradually 
sloping  inwards  until  the  two  sides  met  in  the 
middle  and  formed  a  perfect  triangle,  while  the 
fore  part,  also  gently  sloping,  resembled  the  fore 
part  of  a  huge  fish.  The  roof — to  which  the  old 
man  ascended — was  almost  flat,  and  had  in  it 
three  large  square  holes,  through  which,  by 
means  of  ladders,  the  interior  of  the  building 
could  be  reached.  This  interior  was  divided  by 
means  of  thin  partitions  into  smaller  apartments, 
some  of  which  were  filled  with  fruit,  bread,  and 
different  kinds  of  meat,  others  contained  water 
in  goat-skin  bags,  while  the  rest  seemed  to  be 
appropriated  to  bedrooms  and  various  other 
uses. 

The  whole  was  put  firmly  and  tightly  to 
gether,  and  seemed  perfectly  proof  against  wind 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  41 

and  water, — thus  resembling  in  all  appearance 
our  modern  shore  and  canal  boats  of  the  largest 
size.  On  the  sides  of  the  vessel  descended 
several  long  boards,  about  two  inches  in  thick 
ness,  which  were  fastened  to  long  poles  reaching 
almost  to  the  middle  of  the  deck.  These  poles 
rested  on  pivots,  and  by  means  of  them  the 
boards  could  easily  be  raised  and  swayed  back 
and  forward.  I  have  yet  to  add  that  the  roof 
or  deck  was  guarded  by  a  stout  railing  four  feet 
high,  and  my  description  of  the  first  vessel  that 
probably  ever  was  built,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Ark,  is  completed. 

,  When  the  men  were  assembled  on  the  vessel's 
deck,  Harim  and  Nahum  could  conceal  their 
wonder  and  surprise  no  longer,  and  various  were 
their  exclamations  and  eager  inquiries. 

But  Mordecai,  now  raising  himself  to  his  full 
height,  bade  them  be  silent;  and  then,  sinking 
on  his  knees, — in  which  he  was  imitated  by 
every  one  on  board, — he  raised  his  aged  hands 
on  high,  and,  after  thanking  Jehovah  for  all 
his  goodness  and  blessings,  implored  the  divine 
assistance  in  their  perilous  undertaking. 

Then  he  arose,  blessed  the  assembled  mul- 

4* 


42  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

titude, — who  all  regarded  him  as  a  father, — and 
said,  in  a  solemn  voice  trembling  with  emotion, — 
"Children,  the  time  has  now  come  when  an 
explanation  is  due  to  you  of  all  I  have  hitherto 
done.  When,  five  years  ago,  I  beheld  the  dis 
tress  and  the  oppression  of  my  unfortunate 
brethren,  I  was  sorely  troubled,  and  resolved 
not  to  rest  until  I  had  exerted  my  humble  power 
to  the  utmost  in  their  behalf.  I  was  compara 
tively  free  then;  for  the  heathens  either  re 
spected  my  old  age,  or  else  did  not  think  my 
services  worth  the  having.  In  one  of  my  soli 
tary  walks,  I  reflected  on  our  former  prosperity 
and  the  course  of  life  we  had  pursued;  and  Je 
hovah,  in  his  infinite  goodness  and  mercy,  en 
lightened  my  heart.  I  saw  that  we  owed  our 
present  misfortunes  to  ourselves, — to  the  ungodly 
and  sinful  life  we  had  led;  and  a  voice  within 
me  seemed  to  say,  ' Arise  and  be  strong:  despair 
not,  but  turn  your  thoughts  heavenward  to  Him, 
the  giver  of  all  good  and  bad ;  put  your  trust  in 
Jehovah,  and  he  surely  will  not  abandon  you. 
Sorely  have  you  grieved  the  God  of  your  fathers, 
in  your  prosperity,  until  he  has  left  you  and 
given  you  into  the  hands  of  your  enemies  as  an 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  43 

atonement  for  your  sins.  But  behold  what  he 
has  done  even  in  your  captivity, — how  he  has 
turned  the  heart  of  Shalmanezer,  once  your 
most  relentless  enemy,  until  now  you  are  even 
preferred  to  his  own  Assyrians.  Leave  your 
wicked  ways,  turn  back  to  the  only  living  God, 
and  he  surely  will  deliver  you/ 

"From  that  day  there  came  a  change  over 
me.  I  too  had  strayed  from  the  right  path; 
in  me  too  the  world  and  its  bad  examples 
had  subdued  all  holier  and  better  feelings. 
Instead  of  putting  my  trust  in  him,  I  had 
murmured  against  the  God  of  Israel  for  our 
misfortunes,  like  the  rest  of  our  friends.  But 
now  I  had  once  more  learned  in  whom  all  our 
hopes  must  be  centred ;  and  that  very  night  I 
did  not  seek  my  lowly  couch  until  I  had  emp 
tied  my  heart  at  Jehovah's  feet.  I  now  set 
to  work  to  find  my  two  noble  nephews  Harim 
and  Nahum,  whom  I  admonished  to  put  their 
trust  in  the  Almighty,  and,  by  perseverance 
and  unfaltering  attention  to  whatever  duties 
might  be  imposed  upon  them,  to  gain  the  good 
will  of  their  masters. '  And  bravely  have  they 
followed  my  advice.  A  few  nights  after,  when 


44  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

I  lay  on  my  couch,  thinking  about  our  misfor 
tune  and  praying  to  God  for  a  speedy  deliver 
ance,  I  fell  asleep;  and  now  followed  one  of 
those  strange  circumstances  which  sometimes 
direct  the  whole  course  of  a  man's  life. 

"I  had  a  dream;  but  so  vivid  was  it  that  it 
seemed  then,  and  seems  now,  strict  reality.  I 
was  standing  on  the  summit  of  a  mountain 
whose  head  towered  high  above  the  clouds. 
Beneath  my  feet  lay  stretched  out  the  land  of 
our  captivity,  and  I  saw  my  beloved  brethren 
toiling  from  morn  till  night,  driven  by  the  cruel 
lash  of  their  merciless  tormentors.  But  on 
raising  my  eyes  I  beheld  in  the  far  distance, 
and  divided  from  where  I  stood  by  an  almost 
endless  expanse  of  water,  the  green  vales,  the 
silvery  streams,  and  the  beautiful  forests  of  a 
new  country;  and  high  over  it  in  the  sky  I  saw 
written,  in  flaming  letters, — 

"  'A  new  Canaan  for  those  who  seek  me/ 
"I  stood  with  outstretched  arms,  my  gaze 
riveted  on  the  lovely  scene, — when  I  felt  a  light 
touch  on  my  right  shoulder,  and,  turning  my 
eyes,  I  looked  into  the  face  of  an  old  man  of 
most  venerable  appearance. 


THE  FIRST  OF   THE  RED   MEN.  45 

"*My  son,'  said  he,  mildly,  and  in  the  most 
melodious  voice  I  have  ever  heard,  'thy 
prayers  have  ascended  to  God,  and  I  now  am 
here  to  take  thee  hence  to  a  land  where  thou 
shalt  be  free,  where  thou  mayest  worship  Je 
hovah  in  his  own  temple.' 

"  He  took  me  by  the  hand  and  led  me  to  the 
water's  edge,  where  he  pointed  out  to  me  a 
huge  structure  resting  on  the  water.  By  a 
ladder  made  of  ropes  and  fastened  to  the  top 
of  the  structure,  he  ascended ;  and,  at  a  sign  from 
him,  I  followed.  Scarcely  had  our  feet  touched 
the  planks,  when,  impelled  by  an  unseen  force, 
the  seeming  pile  of  wood  moved  slowly  out 
into  the  boundless  wilderness  of  waters.  My 
guide  again  approached  rne,  and,  again  taking 
me  by  the  hand,  first  led  me  to  a  bench, 
whereon  sat  four  stalwart  men,  whose  brawny 
arms  were  holding  and  swaying  back  and  for 
ward  two  long  poles  resting  on  pivots,  and  on 
whose  outer  ends  were  fastened  long  boards 
hanging  over  the  side  of  the  vessel.  I  saw 
the  men  stooping  forward,  pressing  the  poles 
down  till  they  almost  touched  the  planks,  and 
then  they  were  pushed  out  as  far  as  the  arms 


46  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

of  the  men  could  reach;  anon  the  poles  were 
raised  again,  and  pulled  back  with  all  the  force 
the  laborers  could  command.  My  guide,  who 
perceived  my  wonder  at  this  unusual  occupa 
tion,  next  took  me  to  the  vessel's  side,  where 
I  perceived  that,  on  the  poles  being  pressed 
down  and  pushed  forward,  the  boards,  which 
were  fastened  to  the  ends  of  them  and  ordi 
narily  hung  in  the  water,  were  lifted  clean  out 
of  it;  and  then,  on  the  poles  being  lifted  and 
hauled  in,  the  boards  again  sank  into  the 
water  and  were  pushed  forward  by  the  united 
strength  of  the  four  men, — when  they  acted  as 
so  many  levers,  which  propelled  the  vessel  for 
ward  with  such  a  force  that  she  shot  through 
the  water  like  an  arrow.  The  venerable  old 
man  then  descended  with  me  into  the  interior 
of  the  building,  where,  after  showing  me  the 
different  apartments  for  meat,  water,  bed 
rooms,  &c.,  he  raised  a  trap-door  in  the  middle 
of  the  floor,  and  showed  me  a  quantity  of  heavy 
stones,  with  which,  he  said,  the  entire  room 
from  the  bottom  of  the  structure  to  the  floor 
on  which  we  stood  was  filled,  so  as  to  restore 
the  balance  of  the  vessel  and  to  prevent  the 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  47 

wind  and  waves  throwing  her  over,  as,  without 
the  ballast,  the  part  above  water  was  much 
heavier  than  that  below.  He  next  informed  me 
as  to  the  construction  of  the  lower  part  of  his 
vessel,  and  made  with  chalk  a  drawing  of  the 
entire  structure  on  the  floor,  so  complete  that 
I  perfectly  recollected  it  on  awaking.  We  now 
returned  on  deck,  when,  to  my  surprise,  I  saw 
several  white  seeming  clouds,  which  propelled 
the  vessel  faster  than  before,  without  any  work 
at  all  on  the  part  of  the  men.  But,  before  I  could 
interrogate  my  friendly  guide  as  to  the  meaning 
of  this  new  apparition,  the  vessel  struck  the 
land,  when  the  latter,  guide,  water,  and  all, 
disappeared  as  if  by  magic,  and  I  found  myself 
lying  in  my  own  bed. 

"My  first  action  was  to  jump  up;  and,  without 
really  knowing  what  I  did,  I  at  once  took  my 
tablet  and  made  a  drawing  of  what  I  had  seen. 
I  then  crept  back  into  my  bed,  where  I  soon 
again  fell  asleep,  and  did  not  wake  until  late 
the  next  morning.  I  then  arose,  much  re 
freshed  ;  and,  on  recollection  being  restored,  the 
scene  of  my  last  night's  adventures  again  stood 
vividly  before  my  mind's  eyes,  and,  my  looks 


48  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

falling  upon  the  drawing  made  in  the  night,  I 
recognized  it  as  the  same  I  had  seen  made  by 
the  mysterious  guide  of  my  dream. 

"  I  now  became  restless ;  and  a  secret  power 
seemed  to  drive  me  on  to  the  completion  of  the 
work  now  before  me.  A  few  days  after,  I  ac 
cidentally  heard  some  one  express  the  wish 
to  have  a  good  gardener  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  city;  and,  as  I  possessed  some  knowledge 
of  plants  and  flowers,  together  with  some  old 
works  on  the  art  of  horticulture,  I  regarded 
this  as  another  godsend,  and  at  once  made  my 
purpose  to  become  a  public  gardener  known  to 
some  chance  acquaintances,  and  soon  had  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  my  plan  approved  of;  and, 
to  my  great  joy,  my  nephew  Lamech  was 
offered  me  as  assistant  and  companion.  I  then 
went  out  to  the  banks  of  the  river,  to  select  a 
suitable  locality  for  my  future  occupation;  and  I 
have  not  the  least  doubt  that  it  was  by  the 
special  direction  of  Providence  I  hit  on  this 
spot.  Here,  with  the  assistance  of  Lamech,  I 
soon  constructed  the  light  cot  overhead,  and 
in  all  earnest  began  to  prepare  the  soil.  My 
efforts  were  crowned  with  complete  success, 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  49 

and  in  the  first  year  I  raised  enough  not  only 
to  pay  my  rent  and  live  comfortably,  but  I  was 
also  enabled  to  lay  by  a  considerable  quantity 
of  provisions  for  future  use.  When  I  was  not 
absolutely  compelled  to  work  outside,  and  while 
Lamech  alone  was  busy  in  the  garden,  I  went 
to  work  to  improve  the  interior  of  my  house. 
A  cellar  being  one  of  the  first  necessities  for  a 
man  of  my  calling,  I  began  to  dig  the  ground 
in  my  hut,  when  one  day,  as  I  was  busy 
at  work,  I  all  at  once  struck  a  well-preserved 
huge  stone  slab,  which,  on  closer  inspection, 
proved  to  be  a  trap-door  revolving  on  a  pivot 
and  leading  to  a  subterranean  vault  of  vast  pro 
portions.  To  describe  my  surprise  and  almost 
maddening  joy  at  this  happy  discovery  would 
be  impossible.  I  raised  the  stone,  threw  open 
the  doors  and  windows  of  my  house,  to  admit 
a  current  of  fresh  air,  and  soon  had  the  foul 
atmosphere  of  my  splendid  cellar  sufficiently 
cleared  to  admit  of  my  exploring  the  cavern. 
I  then  lowered  a  ladder  of  my  own  construc 
tion,  the  old  steps  that  led  down  being  so 
much  decayed  by  time  as  to  be  unserviceable, 
provided  myself  with  a  blazing  fagot  of  pine- 


50  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

wood,  and  boldly  descended  to  the  floor  of  the 
vault.  On  closely  examining  every  nook  and 
corner,  I  first  detected  the  room  yonder,  which 
now  serves  as  the  prison  of  our  captives; 
then  I  went  from  one  end  of  the  room  to  the 
other,  so  as  to  form  some  idea  of  its  size, — when 
I  was  again  surprised  on  perceiving  a  rusty  iron 
knob  in  one  of  the  apparently  solid  rocky  sides. 
Not  doubting  that  this  knob  must  serve  some 
purpose,  I  first  attempted  to  turn  it  and 
then  pressed  it,  when — -judge  of  my  astonish 
ment! — I  saw  a  huge  slab  slowly  move  on  one 
side,  revealing  to  my  bewildered  gaze  a  second 
chamber,  of  still  greater  extent  than  the  first. 
A  dull  sound  as  of  rushing  waters  soon  led  me 
to  a  closer  examination  of  its  boundaries;  and  I 
was  not  long  in  finding  the  side  whence  the 
sound  proceeded,  constructed  of  solid  masonry. 
All  this  led  me  to  the  conclusion  that  these 
vaults  must  originally  have  been  an  excavation 
made  by  the  river, — for  it  is  the  Tigris  that 
flows  past,  and  the  floor  of  the  cavern  I  have 
found  to  be  on  a  level  with  its  bed, — which  in 
all  probability  was  secured  from  the  waters  by 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  51 

some  mighty  ruler,  in  days  long  gone  by,  for 
purposes  of  his  own. 

"What  those  purposes  may  have  been,  and 
whether  that  wall  was  built  after  the  river  had 
been  led  in  another  channel  the  while  or  other 
wise,  concerned  me  not ;  and  I  have  never  given 
it  a  serious  thought.  It  was  enough  for  my 
purpose  that  the  vaults  existed ;  and  now,  with 
the  help  of  the  Almighty,  I  am  sure  the  day  of 
our  freedom  is  dawning. 

"  After  this  happy  discovery,  I  at  once  set  to 
work  to  construct  means  for  ventilation,  which 
I  contrived  to  conceal  by  shrubbery  so  com 
pletely  that  detection  is  next  to  impossible. 
Then  I  accumulated  as  much  wood  and  pro 
visions  as,  by  working  day  and  night,  I  possibly 
could.  My  next  thought  was  on  procuring 
tools  and  other  necessary  hardware ;  and  these 
too  I  at  length  succeeded  in  accumulating  in 
sufficient  quantity;  when,  at  last,  three  years 
ago,  I  set  out  upon  a  journey  through  the 
empire  to  seek  those  of  my  countrymen  who 
would  prefer  freedom  at  all  hazards  to  slavery 
and  death  under  the  lash  of  our  cruel  oppressors. 
I  found  two  hundred  men  who  volunteered  to 


52  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

share  my  fortunes ;  and,  through  the  most  mar 
vellous  intervention  of  Divine  Providence,  I  suc 
ceeded  in  bringing  them,  together  with  their 
families,  safely  to  this  place.  How  this  really  was 
brought  about  I  hardly  know  myself;  but  here 
we  are,  to  praise  Jehovah's  goodness  and  mercy ; 
and  if  you,  my  noble  nephews,  would  know  the 
particulars  of  our  escaping  all  dangers  and  detec 
tion,  let  each  one  tell  his  own  story,  at  a  time 
more  fitting  for  idle  talk  than  the  present. 

"  On  our  arrival,  we  at  once  commenced  the 
building  of  this  vessel;  and  now  all  is  ready  for 
an  immediate  move.  All  that  remains  to  be 
done  is  to  bring  our  brethren  who  live  in  the 
city  of  Nineveh — each  one  of  whom  is  duly 
forewarned — out  to  this  place, — a  task  by  no 
means  easy,  and  which  I  deferred  to  the  last, 
so  as  not  to  create  a  too  strong  suspicion  in  this 
immediate  vicinity,  sure  to  follow  the  sudden 
disappearance  of  so  many  people.  Then  we 
have  to  break  down  the  wall  which  separates  us 
from  the  river ;  and,  as  its  waters  at  flood-tide — 
which  will  set  in  at  midnight  precisely — will 
stand  five  or  six  feet  above  the  bottom  of  this 
cavern,  it  will  be  easy  to  move  the  vessel  into 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  53 

the  stream ;  and,  once  there,  we  are  free ;  for  by 
daylight  we  shall  be  far  beyond  Nineveh ;  and, 
even  if  by  accident  we  should  be  discovered  by 
one  or  the  other,  they  will  have  no  means  to 
impede  our  progress. 

"  To-morrow,  then,  we  will  try  to  remove  our 
brethren  out  of  the  city ;  and  the  night  following 
the  day  after  to-morrow  will,  with  the  help  of 
Jehovah,  witness  our  departure  for  the  new 
Canaan. 

"  You,  my  nephews  Nahum  and  Harim,  will 
therefore  do  best  by  losing  no  more  time,  but 
return  at  once  to  the  city,  to  avoid  all  suspicion; 
for  I  know  that  you  have  to  make  a  good  many 
preparations  before  you  can  join  us  to  bid  a  final 
farewell  to  the  land  of  our  oppressors."  The  old 
man  ceased ;  and  the  assembled  multitude,  who 
had  listened  to  him  in  breathless  silence,  arose, 
and  one  after  the  other  advanced  and  silently 
and  reverently  kissed  Mordecai's  hands;  where 
upon  Nahum  and  Harim  took  their  leave  and 
hastened  back  to  Nineveh. 

5* 


54  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 


CHAPTER  IY. 

HERMIONE. 

IN  a  lofty  and  gorgeously-furnished  apart 
ment  of  the  royal  palace  sat  the  king's  daughter. 
She  was  now  sixteen  years  old,  and  just  verging 
into  womanhood.  She  was  beautiful,  ay,  won- 
drously  beautiful.  To  do  justice  to  the  exquisite 
cut  of  her  features,  we  should  be  endowed  with 
the  pencil  and  skill  of  a  Raphael;  while  her 
form  was  such  as  the  mother  of  Hercules  must 
have  possessed,  to  bring  even  a  god  to  her  feet. 
Near  this  royal  and  commanding  beauty — on 
whose  high  and  noble  brow  the  diadem  would 
have  seemed  a  mockery — was  seated  the  lovely 
Tamar,  one  of  Israel's  fair  daughters,  who  had 
been  brought  captive  to  Nineveh.  She  was  the 
servant,  but  rather  the  companion  and  confidant, 
of  Hermione, — a  position  to  which  she  had  been 
raised  through  her  own  unassuming  modesty, 
and  in  spite  of  the  most  strenuous  opposition  on 
the  part  of  Shalmanezer's  relations  and  friends. 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED  MEN.  55 

Tamar  had  succeeded  in  filling  the  soul  of  her 
royal  mistress  with  the  noblest  thoughts,  and 
was  in  turn  regarded  by  her  as  a  sister. 

The  maidens  had  evidently  been  conversing 
on  some  very  interesting  subject ;  for  the  height 
ened  color  and  the  sparkling  eye  of  Hermione 
spoke  of  mighty  feelings  stirred  within  her 
bosom.  But  all  at  once  a  deep-drawn  sigh, 
coming  from  the  very  bottom  of  her  heart,  es 
caped  her,  and,  raising  her  eyes,  which  had  sud 
denly  lost  their  lustre  and  assumed  a  troubled 
appearance,  she  said,  in  a  tremulous  though 
sweet  and  melodious  voice, — 

"  Tamar,  my  sister,  my  soul  becomes  troubled, 
and  dark  forebodings  steal  within  my  heart. 
You  know  the  revengeful  nature  of  my  cousin 
Abimelech;  and  I  tremble  for  the  life  of  my 
noble  Nahum.  Until  recently,  my  cousin  has 
regarded  me  as  his  destined  bride.  His  rank 
and  wealth  have  purchased  him  a  power  and 
influence  second  only  to  that  of  the  king,  my 
father ;  while  his  known  adherence  to  the  false 
gods  and  errors  of  this  heathen  nation — whereas 
my  father  is  more  than  suspected  of  a  strong 


56  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

leaning  toward  the  true  God  of  Israel — gives 
him  a  fearful  ascendency. 

"  His  rage,  on  discovering  my  attachment  to 
Nahum,  knew  no  bounds ;  and  no  means  has  he 
left  untried  to  hurl  his  rival  from  his  path.  Ay, 
the  assassin  whose  steel  is  to  pierce  Nahum's 
heart  has  been  hired. 

"Thus  far  his  wicked  designs  have  failed; 
but  how  long  can  it  remain  thus  ?  0  my  friend, 
my  sister,  the  blow  will  fall,  and  I  shall  be  sacri 
ficed! 

"  But  no  !  no !  I  will  not  submit.  The  dagger 
now  concealed  within  my  bosom  shall  find  my 
heart  ere  Abimelech's  polluted  touch  shall  defile 
my  person  ! 

"  But  where,  my  beloved,  where  may  Nahum 
be?  How  long  is't  since  you  saw  him?  The 
hour  when  he  was  to  meet  me  draws  nigh. 
Should  evil  befall  him !  Oh ! " 

"Grieve  not,  dear  mistress,"  interrupted  Ta- 
mar,  in  a  low,  silvery  voice.  "  Grieve  not :  he 
will  be  true  to  his  appointment.  I  saw  him 
scarce  four  hours  ago,  well  and  happy ;  and,  be 
lieve  me,  the  God  of  his  fathers  will  protect  him. 

"  Cheer  up,  then,  dear  lady,  cheer  up,  and  let 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  57 

me  fetch  my  lute  to  enliven  the  lonely  hours. 
It  wants  yet  an  hour  to  midnight;  and  not 
before  the  third  hour  of  the  morning,  when 
everybody  is  buried  in  sleep,  may  you  expect  to 
behold  your  lover." 

With  a  melancholy  smile,  Hermione  thanked 
her  companion,  and  the  latter  went  to  fetch  the 
lute.  After  a  short  and  lively  prelude,  she 
sang,— 

"  Drive  trouble  and  sorrow  away  from  your  bosom ; 

Let  darkness  and  gloom  not  o'ershadow  your  life : 
Take  courage,  and  fear  not;  for  everywhere  blossom 
Truth,  love,  and  friendship,  spite  warfare  and  strife. 

"  Though  perils,  e'en  death,  may  endanger  his  coming, 
Your  lover  is  brave,  and  his  heart  knows  no  fear ; 
Like  the  lion,  who  through  Afric's  deserts  is  roaming, 
He  will  come ;  for  he  knows  that  his  true  love  waits  here. 

"  Blessing  for  woman  the  greatest  all  over 
Is  a  constant,  a  faithful,  a  trustworthy  lover." 


The  last  note  of  the  refrain  was  yet  trembling 
on  the  air,  when  footsteps  were  heard  approach 
ing  the  room  where  the  maidens  sat.  Her 
mione  bent  her  head  to  listen,  and  then,  pressing 
her  hand  upon  her  heart,  as  if  to  repress  its 
tumultuous  beating,  she  arose,  and,  advancing  to 


58  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;  OR, 

where  Tamar  sat,  said,  in  a  husky  voice,  "Hark! 
dost  hear  those  footsteps  ?  That  is  my  father. 
Something  unusual  must  have  happened,  or  he 
would  not  visit  me  at  this  hour.  Oh !  I  know 
the  time  has  come  when  my  fate  is  to  be  decided ! 
Be  still,  my  poor  heart :  whatever  it  may  be,  let 
us  meet  it  bravely !" 

A  knock  at  the  door,  a  resolute  "Come  in,"  the 
door  opened,  and  Shalmanezer  stood  face  to  face 
with  his  daughter.  The  conqueror  of  Samaria 
was  at  this  time  about  sixty-five  years  of  age, 
and  rather  above  the  medium  height.  He  mea 
sured  five  feet  and  ten  inches.  His  noble  and 
intelligent  face  indicated  a  good  heart,  but  was 
now  clouded  by  trouble  and  sorrow. 

He  grasped  the  outstretched  hand  of  his  child, 
and,  pressing  it  warmly,  kindly  inquired  after 
her  health.  Then  he  sat  down  on  a  low  ottoman 
beside  his  daughter. 

Tamar  had  risen  on  the  entrance  of  the  king, 
and  now  was  about  to  leave  the  room,  when  the 
voice  of  Hermione  arrested  her. 

"  Stay,"  the  royal  maiden  said  :  "  whatever 
my  father  may  have  to  communicate,  I  am  sure 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   BED   MEN.  59 

it  is  nothing  that  my  friend  and  companion 
might  not  hear.  Is't  not  so,  my  father  ?" 

"  Yes,  my  child, — although  I  had  wished  that 
our  conversation  should  be  private :  yet,  as  you 
desire  it,  Tamar  may  remain. 

"You  may  have  wondered,"  the  king  con 
tinued,  "  at  this  unseasonable  visit ;  but  things 
have  transpired  which  demand  a  prompt  action 
on  our  part. 

"Abimelech," — Hermione  shuddered  as  she 
heard  that  name  pronounced  by  her  parent, — 
"  whose  power  and  influence,  as  you  know,  are 
almost  equal  to  my  own,  has  sued  for  thy  hand, 
and  demands  an  unqualified  answer.  In  case 
of  a  refusal,  he  threatens  to  join  my  enemies; 
and  then  I  know  all  will  be  lost.  Yet  for  my 
self  I  fear  not;  for  although  many  of  my  As 
syrians  are  against  me,  yet  I  still  have  many 
friends,  and,  being  an  old  man,  I  am  sure  that 
those  I  have  ruled  so  long  dare  not  harm  me, 
but  will  let  me  live  in  peace  for  the  few  years 
that  my  life  will  be  spared.  But  for  you,  my 
dear,  I  tremble ;  for  should  Abimelech  come  to 
power,  thy  lot  would  indeed  be  a  hard  one,  unless 
vou  consent  to  become  his  wife. 


60  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

"  I  hastened  hither  to  communicate  this,  and 
also  to  tell  you  that  I  have  gained  three  days 
for  you  to  make  up  your  mind.  After  that  time 
Abimelech  awaits  an  answer,  and,  alas !  your 
poor  old  father  has  lost  the  power  to  protect  his 
child.  But  I  wish  you  to  understand  that  I  will 
not  force  you  to  any  thing  against  your  own 
inclination :  so  you  will  only  have  to  examine 
your  heart  and  give  your  answer  according  to  its 
promptings. 

"  Now  you  know  all ;  and,  as  I  am  a  bad  coun-, 
sel  in  affairs  of  the  heart,  and  the  time  for  re 
tiring  being  come,  I  bid  thee  good-night,  my 
child,  and  may  thy  dreams  be  pleasant  and 
happy!" 

The  poor  man  then  hastily  retired, — for  he 
seemed  to  fear  the  outbursts  of  grief  on  the  part 
of  his  truly  beloved  child, — and  the  maidens 
were  left  alone. 

A  silence  of  some  duration,  which  neither  of 
them  seemed  willing  to  break,  was  at  length 
terminated  by  Hermione,  who  clasped  her  hands, 
and,  sinking  on  her  knees,  fervently  cried, — 

66  Thou  God  of  Israel,  whom  I  too  adore,  guide 
and  help  me  in  this  fearful  emergency.  What, 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  61 

oh,  what  shall  I  do?  On  one  side  my  poor, 
almost  heart-broken  father,  on  the  other  the 
friend  of  my  bosom,  my  noble  and  brave  lover. 
But,  lo !  behold  at  my  father's  back  that  dread 
ful,  that  abhorred  man,  Abimelech,  the  man  of 
iniquity  and  of  blood!  Never  should  I  dare  to 
1  lift  my  heart  to  thy  throne,  0  my  God ;  for  he 
whom  they  would  make  my  husband  would  crush 
me,  as  he  would  crush  every  other  true  believer. 

"  No !  duty  toward  my  Creator  demands,  and 
I  must,  I  will  obey !  Death,  or  Nahum !" 

She  had  arisen,  but  now  she  sank  back  on 
her  ottoman.  Exhausted  nature  could  hold  out 
no  longer,  and  she  fell  into  a  deep  and  swoon- 
like  sleep. 

Tamar  bent  over  the  sleeping  maiden,  and 
long  and  anxiously  did  she  watch.  But  at 
length  she  was  convinced  that  the  sleep  was 
sound,  and  that  there  was  no  danger.  She 
therefore  went  back,  trimmed  her  lamp  for  the 
night,  and  sat  down  on  her  own  low  couch. 

Here  she  began  to  muse;  and  anon,  giving 
words  to  her  thoughts,  she  said, — 

"  There  she  lies,  young,  rich,  and  beautiful, 
the  daughter  of  a  mighty  king,  but,  oh,  how 


62  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

unhappy!  Not  all  the  wealth  of  Solomon 
could  compensate  her  for  the  trouble  she  feels. 
Not  even  I,  the  despised  captive,  would  exchange 
my  lot  for  hers.  I  too  love ;  between  me  and 
my  love  there  also  arise  dangers.  I  too  can 
say  'My  lover  is  brave  and  his  heart  knows  no 
fear;'  but  between  me  and  my  heart's  choice  there 
stands  no  abhorred  suitor,  and  I  need  not  to 
fear  the  breaking  of  a  father's  heart.  I  am  free 
in  my  choice,  and  therefore,  although  a  captive, 
freer  than  my  royal  mistress ! 

"0  Harim!  my  true,  my  noble  lover,  I 
feel  it,  I  shall  be  yours !  But  Hermione !  she 

is  so  good,  so  noble,  so  brave,  and She 

must,  she  shall  be  saved,  should  I  myself 
perish !" 

She  sank  on  her  knees,  and  long  and  fervently 
did  she  pray  to  the  God  of  her  fathers.  Then 
she  lay  back  on  her  couch;  and  soon  the  drowsy 
god  came  and  folded  her  to  his  bosom. 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  63 


CHAPTER  V. 

DETERMINATION. 

WHEN  Harim  and  Nahum  left  old  Mordecai's 
dwelling,  they  hastened,  full  of  wonder  at  what 
they  had  seen  and  heard,  straight  to  the  city. 
It  was  late,  or  rather  early  in  the  morning,  it 
being  nearly  two  hours  after  midnight;  and  they 
began  to  fear  that  their  absence  might  have  been 
discovered, — a  circumstance  they  wished  by  all 
means  to  avoid.  That  they  were  as  yet  in  no 
wise  implicated  or  suspected  by  any  one  but 
their  relentless  enemy  Bareck,  they  had,  to  their 
intense  satisfaction,  learned  by  the  confession  of 
the  latter;  but  he  for  the  present  was  safe,  and 
therefore  nothing  was  to  be  apprehended  from 
that  quarter.  And  there  was  yet  another  cause  for 
rejoicing.  That  the  impending  interview  of  the 
lovers  had  been  betrayed  to  Abimelech,  and  was 
therefore  as  well  known  by  Bareck,  there  could 
be  no  doubt.  But  it  was  also  certain  that  the 
king's  nephew  would  hold  his  peace  concerning 


64  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

his  knowledge,  so  as  in  no  wise  to  be  implicated 
if  his  hired  assassin's  blow  should  strike  home ; 
and  so  there  was  nothing  to  be  feared  but  his 
vile  tool,  and  that  was  out  of  harm's  way.  But 
the  protracted  absence  of  the  captain  might 
have  created  alarm;  and  therefore  our  two 
friends  this  time  directed  their  steps  toward 
the  southern  gate,  where  the  departure  of  Bareck 
was  not  so  likely  to  be  known.  They  found  the 
gate  locked;  but,  making  their  presence  known 
by  three  loud  raps,  they  were  instantly  admitted 
by  the  officer  on  duty,  who,  after  examining 
Harim's  passport,  where,  as  usual,  no  name  was 
mentioned,  courteously  saluted  and  let  them 
pass  without  hinderance.  Nahum  and  Harim,  on 
leaving  their  friends,  had  assumed  a  disguise, 
and  had  therefore  not  been  recognized  by  the 
officer,  who  believed  them  to  be  some  favored 
officers  of  the  king's  household  who  had  been 
hunting  for  adventures  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
city, — as  was  not  unfrequently  the  case. 

Once  within  the  city,  our  wanderers  were 
safe,  as  they  could  easily  have  accounted  for  their 
being  abroad  at  this  time,  had  need  been.  But 
they  were  not  molested,  and  did  not  even  meet 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  65 

with  any  thing  worth  their  attention,  until  they 
came  to  a  place  where  the  street  they  were 
following  crossed  one  of  the  most  frequented 
thoroughfares  of  Nineveh, — when,  on  nearing 
the  corner,  they  saw  two  men  emerging  from  one 
of  those  places  where  the  debauchees  of  the 
"  better  class  of  society"  used  to  resort  for  their 
licentious  and  bacchanalian  orgies,  and  which 
at  that  time  abounded  in  that  vicinity.  The 
two  men — whom  our  friends  had  no  difficulty 
in  recognizing  as  Abimelech  and  one  of  his 
boon-companions — were  evidently  the  worse  for 
the  wine  they  had  imbibed,  and,  in  a  rather 
uncertain  gait,  took  the  same  direction  which 
Nahum  and  his  cousin  were  following.  The 
latter  fell  a  little  behind,  and,  keeping  in  the 
deepest  shade,  followed  on,  without  their  pre 
sence  being  suspected, — when,  at  length,  the 
heavy  tongue  of  Abimelech  broke  loose,  and, 
with  a  terrible  oath,  he  cried  out, — 

"  Perdition  seize  these  d d  Jews !     Would 

that  the  whole  cursed  nation  had  but  one  head ! 
I  would  sever  it  from  the  body  with  one  stroke 
of  my  good  sword.  Look  at  this  Nahum ! — the 
miserable  wretch  dares_to  lift  his  gaze  to  my 

E  6* 


66  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

own  royal  bride;  and,  by  all  that's  infernal, 
she  returns  his  affection ! 

"Hitherto  he  has  escaped  my  vengeance;  but 
this  very  night  will  see  him  slain, — ay,  hurled 
out  of  existence. 

"  Bareck  is  true  and  brave ;  and  he  has  pro 
mised  me  that  before  to-morrow's  sun  arises 
the  Jewish  dog  shall  perish,  were  he  to  be  slain 
at  Hermione's  feet.  The  captain  will  be  true  to 
his  word;  and  at  daybreak  I  shall  hasten  to  the 
king's  daughter,  whose  heart  I  will  wrest  from 
her  bosom,  until  she  lies  prostrate  at  my  feet  and 
acknowledges  me  her  lord  and  master.  Then, 
the  king  being  subdued  already,  I  shall  ascend 
the  throne  of  Assyria,  and  woe  to  the  cursed 
tribe  of  Israel !  I  will  crush  them,  I  will 
hunt  them  down,  until  their  very  name  shall 
be  forgotten." 

Nahum  and  Harim,  who  had  heard  every 
word  uttered  by  their  cruel  enemy,  here  came 
to  a  place  where  their  road  led  them  in  another 
direction;  and  soon  after  both  had  the  satisfac 
tion  of  standing  in  their  own  rooms,  without 
their  absence  having  been  suspected.  As  it  yet 
lacked  an  hour  of  the  time  appointed  for  the 


THE    FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  67 

interview  with  his  beloved,  Nahum  threw  him 
self  on  his  bed,  where  he  enjoyed  a  short  rest: 
then  he  arose,  dressed  himself,  and  at  the  third 
hour  of  the  morning  he  again  went  forth  to  the 
dwelling  of  Harim,  whom  he  found  ready  to 
accompany  him. 

We  left  Hermione  and  her  companion  asleep 
in  one  of  the  apartments  of  the  royal  palace. 
These  apartments  were  situated  in  the  south 
ern  part  of  the  building,  and,  besides  the  usual 
entrance-door,  which  opened  on  a  corridor  that 
ran  the  entire  length  of  the  palace,  they  were 
connected,  by  a  secret  stairway  that  was  known 
only  to  Hermione,  her  father,  and  three  other 
persons,  with  a  room  in  one  of  the  out-buildings; 
and,  through  the  intercession  of  the  king's 
daughter,  this  room  had  been  assigned  to  Harim. 

It  was  about  half-past  two  o'clock  in  the 
morning  when  Hermione  awoke;  and,  turning 
around,  she  beheld  Tamar,  also  just  opening  her 
eyes. 

The  maidens  simultaneously  arose,  and,  meet 
ing  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  they  embraced 
each  other,  their  faces  lit  up  with  a  radiance 


68  THE   LOST  TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

that  bespoke  an  inward  happiness  not  felt  for 
a  long  time  before. 

"Oh,"  Hermione  cried,  "such  a  bright,  glo 
rious  vision  as  I  had  now ! — a  dream  from  which 
I  regret  the  awaking! 

"I  saw  Nahum  in  all  the  splendor  of  glo 
rious  manhood.  We  were  walking  arm  in 
arm  in  the  most  beautiful  garden  I  ever  be 
held.  One  side  of  this  fair  spot  was  bounded 
by  a  majestic  forest,  the  other  by  towering 
rocks  that  kissed  the  clouds;  while  the  middle 
was  traversed  by  a  silvery  stream,  whose  waters, 
clear  as  purest  crystal,  mirrored  the  heavens 
above.  We  were  lost  in  happiness  and  content 
ment, — when,  as  I  accidentally  lowered  my  eyes 
to  the  ground,  I  beheld  a  vermin,  with  the 
head  and  features  of  Abimelech,  ready  to  dart 
upon  and  devour  us.  I  was  on  the  point  of  cry 
ing  out,  to  arouse  my  unconscious  lover,  when, 
lo !  there  stood  beside  us  an  old  man  of  vene 
rable  appearance.  His  flowing  beard  of  snowy 
whiteness  reached  down  to  his  girdle;  his 
eyes  were  mild  and  full  of  kindness;  while 
in  his  hand  he  held  a  chain  of  iron,  to  which 
was  bound  the  hired  murderer  Bareck. 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  69 

"No  sooner  did  the,  old  man  behold  the 
creeping  reptile  in  our  path,  than  he  darted 
forward,  and  a  moment  later  it  lay — vermin  no 
longer,  but  the  corpse  of  our  deadliest  foe — life 
less  at  our  feet.  Nahurn  now  became  aware  of 
the  peril  we  had  escaped,  and,  warmly  embracing 
our  noble  liberator,  he  introduced  him  to  me  as 
his  uncle." 

Tamar  had  listened  in  breathless  silence  to 
the  recital  of  her  mistress  and  friend,  and,  when 
the  latter  had  concluded,  she  again  strained  the 
royal  girl  to  her  bosom  in  a  paroxysm  of  joy. 

"Oh,  happy  are  we!"  she  cried;  "for  thy 
dream  was  not  a  mere  fiction  of  thy  fancy.  I 
too  had  a  dream.  I  too  was  in  that  garden,  with 
Harim  by  my  side.  I  saw  the  occurrence  you 
have  described.  This  coincidence  cannot  have 
been  mere  accident :  it  was,  it  must  have  been, 
j  sent  by  Providence,  to  raise  our  drooping  spirits ; 
and  thus  it  is  a  foreshadowing  of  what  really 
will  happen. 

"But,  hark!    I  hear   footsteps  approaching! 

• 

And — oh,  joy! — they  come  from  the  direction  of 
'the  hidden  passage." 

And  so  it  proved  to  be.     A  moment  later, 


70  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

the  click  of  a  hidden  spring  resounded  through 
the  room,  the  wall  in  one  corner  opened  as  if 
by  magic,  and  Nahum  and  Harim  stood  before 
the  maidens.  They  met  as  only  true  lovers 
can  meet.  A  long  and  fervent  embrace  opened 
the  conversation,  and  then  Nahum  recounted 
their  adventures.  He  spoke  of  Mordecai  and 
his  wonderful  dream, — of  the  subterranean 
chambers, — of  the  ship, — of  his  assembled  friends, 
and  of  their  purpose.  To  all  this  the  girls 
listened  with  astonishment  and  wonder.  But 
when  he  at  last  came  to  speak  of  Bareck  and 
of  his  capture,  the  maidens  again  threw  them 
selves  rapturously  into  the  arms  of  their  lovers, 
and  in  turn  now  related  their  simultaneous 
dream. 

But  at  last  Nahum  spoke  of  their  return  to 
the  city,  of  their  meeting  with  Abimelech  and 
his  companion,  of  the  hopes  and  expectations 
of  the  former,  and  of  his  terrible  threat  against 
the  king's  daughter  and  the  Israelites.  This 
somewhat  checked  the  ardor  of  the  maidens, 
but  at  the  same  time  strengthened  Hermione  in 
her  determination  to  brave  any  thing  rather 
than  consent  to  a  union  with  her  cousin. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  71 

Harim  now  led  Tamar  into  an  adjoining  apart 
ment,  while  Nahum  and  Hermione  seated  them 
selves  on  a  low  ottoman. 

"  Yes,  my  beloved/'  the  maiden  said,  "  it  is 
hard  to  leave  a  fond  and  cherished  father ;  but, 
where  staying  is  fraught  with  such  dangers  to 
one's  self  and  one's  immortal  soul  as  mine  would 
be,  all  other  considerations  must  be  set  aside. 
My  determination  is  taken.  I  am  with  thee 
and  thine  unto  the  end  of  the  world." 

"0  my  most  beloved,  my  cherished  angel!" 
cried  Nahum,  in  tones  that  were  low  and  trem 
bling  with  emotion,  "  my  heroic,  my  brave  girl ! 
Wouldst  thou  indeed  leave  behind  all  the  luxury 
and  splendor  of  royalty,  to  share  the  fortunes 
of  the  despised  captive  ? 

"  Thy  presence  will  redouble  my  courage ;  it 
will  give  renewed  strength  to  my  arms.  Thou 
shalt  be  the  queen,  as  I  will  be  the  leader,  of  my 
brethren,  who  henceforth  and  forever  shall  be 
spoken  of  only  as  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel ;  for 
to  the  land  of  our  fathers  we  will  never  return ; 
but  in  a  far-distant  country,  beyond  seas  whose 
extent  is  unknown,  I  will  be  the  founder 
of  a  new  nation,  whose  descendants,  down  to 


72  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

future  ages,  shall  be  proud  of  Hermione  their 
mother." 

They  then  spent  another  hour  in  sweet  com 
munion,  until  Harim  came  and  admonished  his 
friend  that  it  was  time  to  leave. 

It  was  then  settled  among  the  lovers  that  the 
next  night  should  be  set  apart  for  the  flight, 
the  girls  disguised  in  male  attire,  so  as  to  divert 
attention  from  them;  and,  after  another  fond 
embrace,  Nahum  and  Harim  returned  by  the 
same  way  they  had  come. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  73 


CHAPTER  VI. 

,."••-*  ^,  .       -.-.  '      .    . 

THE   FLIGHT. 

THE  sun  had  arisen,  and  Nahum  and  Harim 
were  at  their  posts,  as  usual,  not  a  soul  in  the 
city  suspecting  their  having  been  beyond  their 
masters'  dwellings. 

Abimelech — who  firmly  believed  that  at  least 
one  of  them,  if  not  both,  would  be  slain  before 
this  time — was  still  in  bed,  sleeping  off  the  last 
night's  debauch.  The  few  who  had  seen  them 
leave  and  enter  the  city-gates  had  not  recognized 
them,  and  not  even  for  once  suspected  their 
identity ;  while  the  only  men  whom  they  might 
have  feared  were  locked  up  in  a  secure  prison, 
guarded  by  stout  and  trusty  men. 

But  the  city  was  in  great  commotion :  guards 
men  and  soldiers  were  running  hither  and  thither, 
while  a  strong  detachment  of  horsemen  were  pre 
paring  to  leave  the  town. 

On  calling  the  roll  of  the  guard,  at  sunrise, 
the  absence  of  their  captain  and  three  of  the 


74  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

best  men  was  discovered.  Messengers  that  were 
at  once  despatched  to  the  several  dwellings  of 
the  missing  men  had  returned  with  the  intelli 
gence  that  they  had  not  been  at  home  that  night ; 
while  it  was  also  ascertained  that  they  had  had 
no  special  duties  assigned  them  which  might 
have  called  them  abroad. 

Bareck  had  been  in  the  habit  of  strolling  out 
of  the  city  when  relieved  from  his  duty;  and 
not  unfrequently  was  he  joined  on  these  excur 
sions  by  one  or  the  other  of  his  intimate  fol 
lowers, — as  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the 
city  was  thronged  with  houses  of  shame  and 
pleasure;  but  always  had  they  returned  long 
before  sunrise,  so  as  to  be  present  at  the  roll- 
call  every  morning.  Yet  on  this  morning  they 
had  not  made  their  appearance.  Three  hours 
had  already  elapsed,  and  no  tidings  of  the  miss 
ing,  when  at  last  some  of  the  men  who  had  been 
on  duty  the  previous  night  bethought  themselves 
of  the  three  men  they  had  seen  to  leave  the  city, 
and  whom,  after  courteously  accompanying  them 
to  the  gate,  Bareck  undoubtedly  had  followed. 

But  who  the  three  men  might  have  been  the 
soldiers  did  not  know,  as  they  had  been  too  far 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   KED   MEN.  75 

off  when  their  captain  conversed  with  them : 
they  could  not  even  give  a  correct  description 
of  their  outward  appearance.  Inquiries  were 
now  set  on  foot  in  every  direction  :  the  suburbs 
were  strictly  searched,  but  all  in  vain.  All  the 
guardsmen  of  the  city  had  been  interrogated, 
but  nothing  had  been  elicited. 

The  lieutenant  of  the  southern  gate,  which 
was  the  most  frequented  by  the  gentry  and  the 
king's  officers,  had  let  in  and  out  so  many  during 
the  previous  night,  and  seen  so  many  royal  pass 
ports,  that  he  was  not  able  to  recall  to  mind 
any  special  circumstance ;  but  he  was  sure  that 
nothing  suspicious  had  come  under  his  obser 
vation. 

When  Abimelech  had  slept  off  the  effects  of  his 
bout  and  appeared  in  the  streets,  the  commotion 
had  reached  the  highest  pitch.  The  horsemen 
had  returned.  They  had  scoured  the  country  for 
miles  around  the  city.  They  had  entered  every 
house  and  building  they  saw, — the  dwelling  of 
old  Mordecai — whom  they  found  with  his  assist 
ant  busy  planting  some  rare  flowers — not  ex- 
cepted ;  but  to  no  purpose  :  Bareck  and  his  fol 
lowers  had  not  been  found.  Mordecai  had  trem- 


76  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

bled  when  lie  saw  the  horsemen  approaching;  but 
he  soon  mastered  his  emotion.  And  well  might 
he  tremble;  for  the  soft  soil  of  the  garden, 
which  stretched  out  in  front  of  his  house,  had 
retained  the  footprints  not  only  of  Nahum, 
Harim,  and  Lamech,  but  also  those  of  Bareck 
and  his  followers, — a  circumstance  he  had  not 
thought  of  before ;  but  now  he  remembered  it ; 
and  his  anxiety,  therefore,  may  well  be  ima 
gined.  Then,  too,  a  strict  observer  could  pos 
sibly  have  detected  the  subterranean  chamber, 
although  it  was  hidden  as  well  as  human  inge 
nuity  could  do  it.  Had  one  or  the  other  been 
discovered,  ruin,  complete  ruin,  would  have  been 
certain,  and  all  his  plans  would  have  been  frus 
trated  on  the  eve  of  their  maturity. 

But,  fortunately,  the  horsemen  were  no  strict 
observers.  They  chatted  gayly  as  they  rode 
along,  while  the  hoofs  of  their  steeds  obliterated 
the  afore-mentioned  tracks  so  completely  as  to 
make  them  altogether  undiscernible.  Arrived 
in  front  of  the  house,  two  only  dismounted  and 
proceeded  to  examine  the  interior;  but,  as  they 
were  in  a  hurry,  they  contented  themselves  with 
carelessly  looking  into  both  rooms ;  and,  not  see- 


THE   FIRST   OF  THE   RED   MEN.  77' 

ing  any  thing  suspicious  there,  they  returned 
and  reported  to  their  comrades  the  result  of 
their  search. 

Hereupon  the  whole  troop  returned  by  the 
same  way  they  had  come ;  and  the  obliteration 
of  all  tracks  now  became  perfect. 

A  more  heart-felt  thanksgiving,  I  trow,  has 
never  ascended  to  Jehovah's  throne  than  that 
which  went  up  out  of  the  breast  of  the  old  gar 
dener  when  the  last  horseman  had  passed  out  of 
sight. 

On  learning  the  state  of  affairs,  Abimelech 
was  nearly  driven  frantic.  His  firm  friend  and 
confidant,  the  man  of  all  others  whom  he  could 
intrust  with  any,  even  the  bloodiest,  most 
wicked  and  monstrous  orders,  sure  to  be  obeyed 
to  the  very  letter,  was  gone, — gone,  too,  before 
his  hated  rival  had  been  hurled  out  of  exist 
ence.  Another  man  must  be  found  to  do  the 
murderous  deed.  But  where  to  find  him? 
Where  was  the  man  so  well  acquainted  with 
all  the  secrets  of  the  court  and  its  surround 
ings,  or  so  well  known  among  the  officers  of 
the  king's  and  minister's .  households,  who  would 
sell  himself  for  gold  ?  -The  execution  of  his 

7* 


78  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

fell  plans  must  be  postponed,  perhaps  aban 
doned,  or  he  himself  must  do  the  work.  But 
that  he  dared  not  attempt. 

While  in  this  terrible  mood,  he  bethought  him 
self  of  Hermione,  and  straight  to  the  royal 
palace  he  went. 

On  being  announced,  he  was  at  once  shown 
to  the  apartments  of  the  king's  daughter,  who, 
to  his  surprise  and  intensest  joy,  welcomed  him 
with  a  warmth  and  cordiality  that  were  alto 
gether  too  sudden,  too  intense,  to  be  real.  But 
he  saw  it  not.  Blind  fool  as  he  was,  he  did  not 
perceive,  what  even  the  most  careless  observer 
must  have  seen,  that  this  was  only  a  mask 
assumed  to  hide  the  disgust  and  abhorrence  the 
maiden  felt  in  his  presence.  But  his  vanity  was 
flattered;  and  already  he  beheld  himself  Her- 
mione's  husband,  wielding  Assyria's  sceptre, 
clothed  in  the  purple  of  royalty.  Short-sighted 
mortal !  The  very  maiden  who  now  smiled  upon 
him  so  sweetly,  pure  and  feeble  though  she  was, 
would  have  felt  no  remorse  in  sheathing  her 
dagger  in  his  black  heart.  But  she  now  spoke 
kindly  to  him :  she  regretted  the  long  estrange 
ment  between  them,  and  altogether  succeeded 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  79 

so  well  in  flattering  his  vanity  that  he  really 
believed  himself  the  object  of  her  sincere  af 
fection.  But  when  she  told  him  that  on  the 
morrow  she  would  give  him  a  final  answer, — 
when  she  held  out  to  him  the  strongest  hopes 
that  this  answer  would  be  a  favorable  one, — he 
was  quite  beside  himself:  he  threw  himself  at 
her  feet,  he  protested  his  love,  and  his  readiness 
even  to  die  for  her,  in  such  strong  terms  that 
she  almost  believed  him  in  earnest;  and  he 
mentally  swore  that  she  did  love  none  but  him, 
and  that  all  Bareck  had  told  him  of  her  attach 
ment  to  Nahum  was  base  calumny  and  false 
hood. 

Could  that  conceited  young  man  only  have 
foreseen  what  the  morrow  had  in  store  for 

him But  I  must  not  anticipate,  and  will  let 

him  enjoy  his  brief  triumph.  After  another  half- 
hour's  conversation,  he  retired,  believing  him 
self  the  happiest  man  alive. 

Nahum  and  Harim,  in  the  mean  time,  had  not 
been  idle :  their  own  effects,  as  well  as  those  of 
the  maidens,  were  packed  and  conveyed  to  the 
house  of  Abraham,  an  old  Jew  who  lived  in  one 
of  the  numerous  alleys  of  the  city,  and  where 


80  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

old  Mordecai  was  wont  to  put  up  on  his  coming 
into  town,  as  he  frequently  did,  with  horse  and 
cart,  loaded  with  the  products  of  his  garden, 
which  he  then  disposed  of  to  the  inhabitants. 

Ample  disguises  had  been  provided  for  the 
maidens,  and  the  different  Israelites  in  Nineveh, 
who  had  previously  been  sounded,  and  who  had 
declared  their  willingness  to  share  the  fortunes 
of  Nahum  and  his  friends,  were  notified  that 
the  ensuing  night  was  fixed  for  their  departure. 
Most  of  these  people  had  already,  and  under 
various  pretexts,  sent  their  wives  and  children, 
with  such  of  their  effects  as  they  could  conceal 
around  their  persons,  out  of  the  city,  and  were 
preparing  to  follow  them  as  opportunity  might 
offer. 

Old  Mordecai  seemed  very  busy  that  day. 
Three  times  already  had  he  been  in  town  with 
his  cart,  which  each  time  he  took  back  well 
filled.  But,  as  he  was  in  the  habit  of  taking 
different  things,  such  as  seeds,  plants,  and  par 
ticularly  the  city-offals  for  manuring-purposes, — 
all  of  which  generally  were  collected  by  Abra 
ham  and  stored  in  his  yard  till  removed  by 
the  old  gardener  out  of  the  town,  whenever  he 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  81 

came  in,  this  circumstance  occasioned  no  sur 
prise.  The  commotion  in  the  city  meantime 
had  not  subsided,  and,  under  cover  of  the  din 
and  confusion  that  generally  ensue  on  occasions 
of  that  sort,  Mordecai  and  his  confederates 
quietly  and  securely  worked  on,  till  at  length, 
about  two  hours  before  nightfall,  every  thing  was 
ready,  to  the  removal  of  the  men  themselves. 
This  too  was  soon  effected, — most  of  the  fugitives 
pretending  to  go  in  search  of  their  wives  and 
families,  while  others  had  been  accustomed  to 
going  in  and  out  of  the  city  at  any  hour  during 
the  day;  and,  as  each  Israelite  had  been  marked 
with  some  token  of  servitude,  so  as  to  be  easily 
recognizable,  these  marks  served  as  so  many  pass 
ports,  which  were  duly  respected  by  all  public 
officials. 

At  last  there  remained  but  Nahum,  Harim, 

!  Hermione,  and  Tamar,  who  could  not  have  left 

the  city  before  night  without  creating  suspicion. 

It  was  therefore  arranged  that  they  should 

leave  as  soon  as  possible  after  the  tenth  hour, 

;  by  the  western  gate,  where  some  of  Hermione's 
staunchest  friends  had  been  put  on  duty,  and 
where  Mordecai  promised  to  be  in  attendance 


82  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

with  a  score  or  two  of  his  best  and  bravest 
men. 

Abirnelech,  in  the  mean  time,  had  left  the 
royal  palace  and  adjourned  to  one  of  his  favorite 
public  resorts,  where  he  was  sure  to  find  some 
of  his  companions  with  whom  to  talk  over  the 
events  of  the  day. 

In  this  he  was  not  disappointed, — as  he 
found  quite  a  number  of  the  dissipated  gentry 
of  Nineveh  awaiting  his  coming.  They,  on  his 
appearance,  boisterously  hailed  him  as  the  great 
man  of  the  day,  who,  as  the  next  after  the  king, 
was  to  be  expected  to  take  the  most  active 
and  prominent  part  in  the  affair,  and  rained 
such  a  shower  of  eager  questions  upon  him, 
that  for  a  moment  he  was  quite  nonplussed. 

After  order  in  a  measure  being  restored,  he 
explained  to  them,  as  far  as  he  had  understood 
it  himself,  the  cause  of  the  public  commotion; 
"  and,"  said  he,  "take  my  word  for  it,  none  but 
our  cursed  and  miserable  captives  are  at  the 
bottom  of  all  this. 

"Already  some  of  my  secret  spies  have  seen 
that  villanous  head  steward  of  the  king,  and 
that  arrogant  fellow  who  acts  as  head  groom 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  83 

in  Almanzor's  stables,  take  a  quantity  of  boxes 
and  packages  to  the  stopping-place  of  that 
old  Jewish  gardener  in  Dog  Alley;  and  the 
latter  has  removed  them  out  of  the  city.  I 
could  at  once  have  pounced  in  upon  that  affair 
and  spoiled  their  game;  but  I  prefer  to  bide 
my  time;  and  when  it  does  come,  I  do  assure 
you.  I  shall  sing  them  such  a  song  as  they  will 
not  forget  in  all  their  lives. 

"But  at  present  I  have  other  matters  to 
occupy  my  thoughts,  and — hark  ye — matters 
of  some  import,  as  well  as  cause  for  gladsome 
rejoicings. 

"Ho,  my  jolly  Pancratius  of  the  never-fail 
ing  bowl !  fill  our  gaping  tankards  to  the  brim ; 
and  you,  my  trusty  companions  in  many  a  glo 
rious  bout,  sit  around  me  while  I  relate  the  day's 
wonderful  revelations." 

Mine  host  soon  brought  the  fresh  supply, 
and  the  friends  formed  a  ring  around  the  con 
ceited  braggart,  while  he,  in  a  drawling  and 
cracked  voice,  continued, — 

"I  tell  ye,  the  game  is  all  in  my  own  hands 
now.  Shalmanezer  is  subdued,  and  my  most 


84  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

royal  and  beautiful  lioness  is  tamed, — ay,  tamed 
in  such  a  way  as  quite  surprised  even  me. 

"  Only  think  of  it !  When  I  called  on  her  to 
day  to  hear  my  final  doom,  she  like  a  cooing 
dove  received  me  with  outstretched  arms,  re 
gretted  the  long  estrangement  between  us,  and 
called  me  her  dear  friend  and  cousin ! 

"  To-morrow  I  am  to  receive  the  reward  of 
my  constancy  from  her  own  ruby  lips,  and  then, — 
for  Assyria's  sceptre ! 

"A  wedding  we  will  have,  such  as  the  world 
never  saw  before;  and,  once  in  my  power,  my 
most  noble  bride  shall  soon  learn  to  acknowledge 
me  as  her  lord  and  master." 

The  wildest  acclamations  followed  this  grand 
speech;  and  many  of  the  young  men  present 
hastened  to  swear  allegiance  to  their  future 
ruler;  while  some,  more  sober  and  cool  than 
the  rest,  ominously  shook  their  heads. 

"All  very  fine,"  one  of  these  latter  remarked; 
"  but,  I  fear  me,  all's  not  gold  that  glitters.  Most 
strange  it  is  that  Hermione,  who  never  even 
tried  to  conceal  the  disgust  and  abhorrence  she 
felt  at  the  approach  of  her  cousin,  should  all  at 
once  have  changed  so  wonderfully.  If  there's 


THE   FIRST   OF    THE   RED   MEN.  85 

not  something  behind  all  this,  then  set  me  down 
for  a  croaking  raven." 

And  in  this  opinion  some  of  the  others 
joined,  until  at  length  even  Abimelech  was 
forced  to  acknowledge  that  things  did  wear  a 
somewhat  suspicious  look. 

But  he  was  not  cast  down.  He  was  sure 
of  his  game.  If  his  spies  had  not  been  greatly 
mistaken,  the  two  Jews  Nahum  and  Harim  in 
tended  to  make  a  decisive  move  that  very  night; 
and  would  it  be  not  only  easy,  but  glorious 
fun,  to  pounce  down  upon  them  in  the  act  and 
at  once  have  them  destroyed  ?  And  there  was 
yet  another  thing,  which  thus  far  he  had  kept 
to  himself. 

He  had  long  suspected,  and  his  spies  had 
confirmed  it,  that  a  great  many  of  the  captive 
Israelites  were  leagued,  and  that  they  must 
have  some  final  object  in  view.  Many  were 
the  stealthy  interviews  and  conversations  be 
tween  Mordecai,  his  nephews,  and  many  of  their 
countrymen,  that  had  been  duly  betrayed  to 
Abimelech ;  while  the  events  of  that  very  day 
plainly  indicated  that  something  important 
must  be  going  on,  as  the  unusual  stir  among 


86  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

the  Israelites,  and  the  uncommon  number  of 
Israelitish  women  and  children  who  had  on 
that  day  left  the  city  under  various  pretences, 
had  been  faithfully  reported  to  him.  And 
when  he  at  last  ascertained  that  Nahum  and 
Harim  were  preparing  for  a  move,  he  no  longer 
doubted  that  that  night  had  been  fixed  upon 
for  some  great  undertaking.  But  what  that 
undertaking  really  was  he  did  not  know,  as  all 
his  knowledge  regarding  the  affair  was  only 
based  on  suspicion.  It  would  now  have  been 
very  easy  for  him  to  prevent  the  captives  from 
going  any  further  than  they  had  already  done ; 
but,  to  do  this,  his  suspicions  must  be  made 
public;  and  that  he  did  not  wish  to  do. 

He  had  his  own  reason  for  letting  matters  pro 
gress  to  their  completion :  then  he  would  in 
terfere,  with  as  little  help  as  possible,  and,  falling 
upon  those  whom  he  considered  the  mortal 
enemies  of  his  nation,  on  the  eve  of  their  suc 
cess,  he  meant  at  once  to  crush  them  and  to  be 
regarded  by  his  countrymen  as  their  savior  and 
liberator. 

That  done,  his  way  would  be  clear,  and  the 
possession  of  Hermione  certain,  as  she  would 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  87 

no  longer  dare  to  oppose  his  wishes.  How  he 
meant  to  gain  her  affection  has  been  indicated 
by  his  different  conversations  when  with  his 
companions. 

"  And  now,  my  friends/'  he  concluded,  "  as  I 
know  that  you  are  all  true  to  me,  that  I  can  trust 
you, — and,  moreover,  as  you  will  not  be  losers  if 
I  gain  my  object, — I  have  decided  on  making  you 
my  companions  in  this  enterprise.  Therefore 
let  our  jolly  host  once  more  fill  our  tankards, 
that  we  may  drink  a  fortunate  result  to  our  un 
dertaking  ;  and  then " 

He  was  suddenly  interrupted  by  the  en 
trance  of  a  man  in  the  costume  of  an  artisan, 
who,  after  making  a  peculiar  sign,  retired  to  the 
farther  end  of  the  room. 

Abimelech  hastily  arose  and  joined  the 
new-comer,  who  briefly  informed  him  that 
Nahum  and  Harim  would  leave  the  town  soon 
after  the  tenth  hour,  by  the  western  gate, 
where  the  watch  had  been  assigned  to  Ackbar, 
a  man  well  known  as  one  of  the  most  faithful 
adherents  to  the  royal  house. 

Abimelech  thanked  the  messenger,  rewarded 
him  handsomely,  and  told  him  that  his  services 


88  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

for  that  day  would  be  required  no  more;  where 
upon  the  man  withdrew. 

"And  now,"  continued  the  speaker,  on  re 
turning  to  his  companions,  "  let's  home,  to  arm 
for  our  enterprise." 

The  tankards  were  refilled;  and,  while  his 
companions  quaffed  the  delicious  wine,  Abi- 
melech  informed  them  of  the  messenger's  re 
port,  and  bade  them  hasten  home,  arm  them 
selves,  and  reassemble  in  a  certain  locality  out 
side  the  western  gate.  Then  they  all  took  their 
leave. 

It  was  near  the  eleventh  hour.  The  night 
was  beautiful  and  clear.  The  moon,  now  in  its 
full,  was  just  rising  above  the  hills  that 
bounded  the  view  to  the  eastward  of  the  city, 
when  Nahum  and  Harim — accompanied  by  Her- 
mione,  who,  on  leaving  the  supper- table,  about 
an  hour  before,  had  taken  a  most  affectionate 
leave  of  her  father,  who  somewhat  wondered 
thereat,  as  he  of  course  expected  to  see  her 
again  the  next  morning,  and  Tamar,  both 
dressed  as  pages  of  the  royal  household — 
stood  before  Ackbar  in  front  of  the  western 
gate.  That  official,  who  was  well  acquainted 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  89 

with  our  friends,  at  once  opened  the  massive 
portal  and  let  the  four  wanderers  out. 

Once  out  of  the  city,  the  fugitives  directed  their 
steps  toward  a  small  copse  of  oaks  and  cedars, 
where  they  were  quickly  joined  by  Lamech, 
who  informed  them  that  Mordecai,  with  twenty- 
five  of  their  best  men,  was  stationed  not  a 
stone's  throw  off,  completely  concealed  by  the 
shrubbery,  where  they  would  halt  until  assured 
that  the  fugitives  were  not  pursued,  and  then 
they  would  follow  and  soon  join  them. 

Our  party  now  hastened  on,  and,  when  they 
came  in  sight  of  Mordecai's  dwelling,  they  re 
solved  to  stop  and  await  their  friends. 

Abimelech  and  his  companions  had  gone  home 
and  armed  themselves,  whereupon  they  left  the 
city  and  assembled  in  the  place  chosen  for  the 
rendezvous.  Here  they  refreshed  themselves  with 
copious  draughts  of  sweet  wine,  and  then  went 
forth  to  reconnoitre.  Ere  long  they  beheld  our 
fugitives,  and  by  the  light  of  the  clear-shining 
moon  they  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  in 
the  two  leaders  of  the  party  the  detested  Jews 
Nahum  and  Harim.  All  at  once  Abimelech 
gave  a  violent  start  and  convulsively  grasped 

8* 


90  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

the  arm  of  his  nearest  follower ;  for  in  one  of 
the  seeming  pages  he  had  recognized  the  now 
unveiled  features  of  Hermione. 

"  Hell  and  furies  !"  he  gasped ;  "  look  here ! 
Dost  behold  that  face  ?  By  all  the  fiends,  it  is 
she,  my  affianced,  led  away  by  that  accursed 
villain !" 

He  was  quite  overcome  by  rage  and  morti 
fication  ;  but  soon  he  rallied,  and,  turning  to  his 
companions,  he  continued, — 

"  Now,  my  friends,  now  is  the  time  for  action ! 
now  we  will  annihilate  those  dastardly  enemies 
of  our  nation  !  Stand  by  me,  and  my  royal  favors 
shall  be  granted  to  all  who  help  me.  Half  of  you 
turn  to  the  left  and  by  a  quick  march  head  them 
off,  while  I  with  the  rest  will  cut  off  their  retreat. 
Be  quick  and  silent,  now,  and  the  day  will  soon 
be  ours ;  and  hearken :  as  soon  as  my  hands 
hold  the  sceptre  of  this  kingdom,  no  favor  shall 
be  too  great,  but  cheerfully  will  I  grant  it  to 
each  of  you. 

"  Yes,"  he  continued,  in  a  lower  tone  from  be 
tween  his  clenched  teeth,  "  yes,  my  royal  bride, 
you  will  yet  be  mine,  and  your  promise  that 
to-morrow  I  am  to  receive  the  reward  of  my 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE  RED  MEN.  91 

constancy  will  yet  be  fulfilled.  But  beware,  my 
coy  dove !  All  the  pangs  I  have  suffered  at  thy 
hands  will  be  revisited  on  thy  head;  and  the 
memory  of  that  Jewish  dog  I  will  make  one  of 
anguish  and  torture  to  thee, — ay,  if  I  must  tear 
your  very  heart  out  of  your  bosom !" 

But  the  departure  of  the  one-half  of  his  friends 
soon  turned  his  thoughts  in  another  direction ; 
and,  not  entertaining  the  least  doubt  that  the 
capture  of  the  fugitives  would  be  an  easy  affair 
for  them,  he  could  hardly  await  the  signal  for 
moving  on. 

Meantime  our  wanderers  had  come  to  a  halt,  as 
we  have  seen  before,  to  await  old  Mordecai ;  and, 
on  suddenly  perceiving  a  party  of  men  emerging 
into  the  path  before  them,  they  went  on,  believ 
ing  these  men  to  be  their  friends.  Scarcely  had 
they  begun  to  move  forward,  when  a  shrill 
whistle,  sounded  by  the  party  in  front,  fell  on 
their  ears,  and  a  moment  later  the  signal  was 
answered  by  an  exultant  cry  in  their  rear.  Still 
they  doubted  not  that  the  men  they  saw  were 
really  their  friends ;  and  Nahum  and  Harim,  pre 
ceded  by  Lamech  in  charge  of  the  two  maidens, 
pushed  on,  until  the  youth — who,  sharing  the  be- 


92  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

lief  of  his  brother  and  cousin,  had  turned  his 
whole  attention  to  the  disguised  females — all  at 
once  raised  his  eyes  and  recognized  in  the  party 
before  him  their  mortal  foes. 

With  the  quickness  of  thought  he  turned  and 
informed  Nahum  of  what  he  had  seen;  but 
scarcely  had  he  done  so,  when  the  party  in  the 
rear  came  up,  and  Abimelech,  his  features  con 
torted  with  rage  and  malignity,  stood  face  to 
face  with  his  rival. 

So  unexpectedly  had  their  enemies  come  upon 
them,  and  so  certain  had  they  felt  of  their  secu 
rity,  now  that  they  had  come  in  full  view  of 
their  destination,  that  at  first  our  two  heroes 
were  quite  at  a  loss ;  but  Lamech  soon  recalled 
them  to  a  sense  of  their  situation,  and  in  a 
whisper  informed  them  that  a  firm  resistance  on 
their  part  would  soon  turn  the  scale  in  their 
favor,  as  the  old  gardener  and  his  friends  could 
not  be  far  away. 

The  moon  was  now  completely  risen,  and  in 
all  her  splendor  illuminated  the  scene  below. 
The  place  where  the  parties  had  met  was  a 
gentle  eminence,  surrounded  on  three  sides  by 
low  shrubbery,  here  and  there  interspersed  with 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  93 

a  stout  oak  or  a  towering  cedar,  while  in  front 
and  a  little  farther  on  could  be  seen  the  garden 
and  dwelling  of  old  Mordecai. 

Our  fugitives  were  now  surrounded  on  all 
sides ;  and  while  Hermione,  who  had  been  the 
first  to  recognise  her  hated  cousin,  lay  half  faint 
ing  in  the  arms  of  her  faithful  Tamar,  Nahum 
and  Harim  prepared  for  a  determined  resist 
ance. 

"  Dog  of  a  Jew !"  Abimelech  hissed,  "  now 
thy  impudence  has  reached  its  climax;  but,  by 
all  hades,  thy  race  is  run !  I  could  smite  thee 
with  one  stroke  of  my  good  blade ;  but  I  will 
preserve  thee,  ay,  preserve  thee — dost  hear  ? — for 
a  fate  worse  than  ten  thousand  deaths.  And 
yonder  maiden,  whom  thou  hast  dared  to  pollute 
with  thy  touch,  I  will  wring  her  heart  until  the 
memory  of  thee  and  thy  accursed  race  shall  be 
one  of  anguish  and  torture. 
,  "  Ho,  there,  my  friends !  to  your  work !  But 
hear !  slay  not  these  miserable  wretches ;  for  I 
would  preserve  them,  to  wrest  from  them  their 
secrets, — preserve  them  for  my  own  especial  plea 
sure.  But  disarm  and  bind  them;  and,  above 


94  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

all,  secure  the  two  pages.  One  of  them  I  claim 
as  my  own ;  the  other  I  give  up  to  you." 

With  this  he  rushed  forward,  vainly  ima 
gining  that  the  superior  number  of  his  followers 
would  awe  the  fugitives  into  quick  submission. 
But  in  this  he  soon  found  himself  sadly  mis 
taken;  as  Nahum,  Harim,  and  Lamech  were 
well  armed,  and  stood  like  so  many  rocks,  frus 
trating  all  attempts  to  overthrow  them. 

Three  times  already  were  the  assailing  party 
driven  back  with  many  a  smart  blow,  and  some 
of  Abimelech's  followers  began  loudly  to  refuse 
their  help  in  a  further  attempt  to  take  the 
Israelites  alive;  when  their  leader,  driven  to 
desperation,  snatched  the  senseless  form  of  Her- 
mione  and  bade  his  friends  slay  those  whom  they 
could  not  secure  otherwise. 

Yain  order !  ay,  and  the  last  ever  uttered  by 
the  haughty  Abimelech ;  for  no  sooner  did  Na- 
hum  behold  his  beloved  in  the  grasp  of  his  de 
tested  rival  than  he  felt  the  strength  of  a  lion 
in  his  arms,  and  with  one  stroke  of  his  stout 
sword  he  cleft  his  enemy  in  twain.  The  rest, 
when  they  saw  the  terrible  fate  of  their  leader, 
took  to  their  heels. 


THE   FIRST   OF    THE    RED   MEN.  95 

But  at  that  moment  Mordecai  and  his  men 
emerged  from  the  shrubbery;  and  of  the  four 
teen  who  had  followed  Abimelech  in  pursuit  of 
the  fugitive  Israelites  not  one  returned  to  the 
city. 

When  the  work  was  done,  Mordecai  joined 
his  nephews,  and,  after  warmly  shaking  their 
hands,  he  told  them  that  he  with  his  followers 
had  been  concealed  in  the  shrubbery  near  at 
hand,  and  that  they  had  seen  all  that  passed. 

"  But,"  he  continued,  "  I  saw  there  were  only 
fifteen  in  pursuit,  and  I  knew  that  they  were 
pursuing  two  scions  of  the  royal  house  of  Jehu. 
We  could  easily  have  come  forward  and  anni 
hilated  those  weak  and  cowardly  Assyrians,  but 
I  disdained  such  a  course;  and,  moreover,  I 
wanted  to  give  you  an  opportunity  to  try  the 
strength  of  your  arms, — to  regain  the  confidence 
in  yourself  which  you  might  have  lost  in  your 
captivity ;  for  of  all  manly  virtues  self-reliance 
is  the  greatest. 

"  But  for  the  worst  we  had  prepared.  Lamech 
had  been  instructed,  in  case  of  real  danger,  to 
give  a  signal ;  on  hearing  which  we  should  have 
been  with  you  before  any  harm  could  have  been 


90  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

done.  But,  noble  youth  as  he  is,  he  did  not 
want  our  help  while  there  was  a  prospect  of 
doing  without  it ;  and  the  result  of  the  engage 
ment  has  shown  that  he  was  right  in  his  calcu 
lation. 

"  But  now,"  the  old  man  added,  "  let  us  for 
ward  without  further  delay,  while  I  shall  order 
some  of  our  trusty  companions  to  carry  the  corpses 
of  our  slain  enemies  to  the  opposite  side  of  the 
city,  so  as  to  lead  their  friends  to  the  belief  that 
this  work  has  been  done  by  the  robbers  who  in 
fest  the  northern  outskirts  of  Nineveh." 

In  the  mean  time,  Hermione  had  regained  her 
senses,  and,  before  any  of  her  friends  were  aware 
of  it,  or  had  had  time  to  remove  the  ghastly 
corpses  out  of  sight,  she  stood  among  them,  tall 
and  erect,  her  loose  hair  flying  in  the  night-breeze, 
the  very  impersonation  of  a  revenging  Nemesis. 

Anon  her  gaze  fell  upon  the  prostrate  form  of 
her  slain  cousin,  while,  on  raising  her  eyes,  she 
beheld  the  venerable  form  of  Mordecai ;  and,  with 
the  startling  cry,  "Oh!  my  dream!  my  dream!" 
she  sank  into  the  outstretched  arms  of  her  faith 
ful  lover.  But  joy  never  kills :  it  very  seldom 
even  makes  one  faint;  and  so  Hermione  was  not 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  97 

killed,  she  had  not  even  fainted,  but  only  in  the 
exuberance  of  her  feelings  had  she  sunk  on 
Nahum's  stout  bosom.  She  was  soon  brought 
to  a  full  sense  of  her  situation;  and  thereupon 
the  party  resumed  their  march,  after  fifteen  of 
Mordecai's  followers  had  been  ordered  to  remove 
all  traces  of  the  recent  conflict. 

In  a  short  time,  and  without  any  further  dis 
turbance,  they  reached  the  old  gardener's  cot, 
and  in  about  an  hour  afterward  they  were 
rejoined  by  their  friends,  who  informed  them 
that  the  corpses  of  the  slain  had  been  removed 
as  ordered,  and  that  all  traces  of  the  conflict  had 
been  obliterated  so  completely  as  to  be  unob- 
servable  by  the  closest  scrutiny. 

Old  Mordecai   then  opened  the   secret  trap 
door,  and  the  entire  party  descended  to  the  sub 
terranean  chambers,  leaving  the  cot  and  its  sur 
roundings  shrouded  in  quiet  and  darkness.     It 
I  was  now  about  three  hours  after  midnight,  and, 
!  as  all  the  men  as  well  as  the  maidens  were  well 
I  tired  out,  they  resolved  not  to  disturb  the  in- 
1  habitants  of  the  vault,  but  to  lie  down  and  pre 
pare  themselves  by  a  short  rest  for  the  work 
yet  before  them. 


THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  DAY  AFTER  THE  FLIGHT. 

WE  left  our  friends  the  fugitive  Israelites  in 
their  subterranean  chambers,  preparing  to  rest, 
where  we  will  leave  them  for  the  present,  and 
now,  with  returning  dawn,  hasten  back  to  Nine 
veh,  to  notice  the  effect  of  the  events  narrated 
in  our  last  chapter,  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the 
royal  city. 

The  sun  had  risen  in  his  usual  splendor,  and 
the  streets  of  Nineveh  began  to  show  signs  of 
returning  animation.  But  in  the  bustling  throng 
there  seemed  something  wanting.  Here  and 
there  one  encountered  closed-up  stalls  and  other 
places  of  business;  while  many  a  wandering 
glance  seemed  to  inquire  why  certain  labors, 
which  evidently  were  assigned  to  a  poorer  and 
more  despised  class  of  menials,  were  not  being 
performed. 

In  the  king's  household  all  was  utter  per 
plexity.  The  various  cooks  and  servants  stood 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  99 

idling  around  their  several  office  s,  not  knowing 
what  to  do. 

The  hour  at  which  the  monarch  would  arise 
and  take  his  morning  meal  drew  nigh;  while 
several  of  the  higher  officers  passed  and  repassed 
the  kitchen-door,  sending  longing  glances  at  the 
glowing  hearths,  and  loudly  grumbling  about 
their  breakfast  not  being  served. 

But  no  appetizing  flavor  of  roast  or  stew 
emerged  from  the  kitchen;  and  it  appeared  as  if 
the  day  was  devoted  to  a  total  abstinence  from 
animal  food.  More  than  a  dozen  messengers 
had  been  sent  to  the  head  steward's  room  for 
orders ;  but  they  had  found  the  door  locked,  and 
had  been  unable  to  make  themselves  heard  by 
the  supposed  sleeper;  and,  as  Harim  was 
known  to  be  an  especial  favorite  of  the  king  and 
his  daughter,  all  were  afraid  to  provoke  his 
anger  by  louder  demonstrations.  But  deep  and 
bitter  were  the  curses  muttered  against  the 
steward  and  the  favor  in  which  he  stood  with 
his  royal  master  and  mistress. 

At  length  the  king  sent  for  his  chamberlain; 
and  now  they  could  wait  no  longer.  Once  more 
they  knocked  loudly  at  the  closed  door,  and 


100  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

then,  not  receiving  any  answer,  they  burst  it 
open,  when,  lo !  the  room  was  found  to  be  empty 
and  showing  unmistakable  signs  of  not  having 
been  occupied  all  night. 

Great  now  became  the  consternation  and 
excitement ;  but  the  wish  for  something  to  for 
tify  the  inner  man  prevailed,  and,  in  the  bustle 
of  hasty  preparation,  the  mysterious  disappear 
ance  of  the  head  steward  was  for  the  while  for 
gotten. 

The  same  consternation  prevailed  in  Alman- 
zor's  stables.  The  horses  loudly  clamored  for 
their  oats,  while  the  under  grooms  stood  idling 
and  wondering  at  Nahum's  absence.  But  here, 
too,  the  disappearance  of  the  head  groom  was  at 
length  discovered :  yet  the  steeds  could  wait  no 
longer  for  their  morning  meal ;  and  therefore  here 
also  the  affair  was  for  the  while  forgotten. 

It  was  yet  early  in  the  morning;  and  therefore 
the  absence  of  Abimelech  and  his  friends  had 
not  yet  been  discovered,  as  these  gentlemen  did 
not  belong  to  the  class  of  early  risers. 

But  with  advancing  day  the  perplexity  in 
creased.  Public  officials  began  to  inquire  about 
the  not-performed  public  labors.  Masters  made 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  101 

search  for  their  missing  slaves;  while  those  who 
were  accustomed  to  deal  with  the  few  free  Is 
raelites,  most  of  whom  were  engaged  in  traffic 
with  small  wares,  &c.,  loudly  expressed  their 
wonder  at  their  non-appearance. 

In  the  now  well-filled  rooms  of  the  "jolly 
Pancratius"  all  was  consternation  and  excite 
ment. 

For  the  twenty-fifth  time,  mine  host  was  re 
lating  to  a  crowd  of  eager  listeners  how  on  the 
previous  night  Abimelech  and  fourteen  of  his 
friends  had  been  assembled  in  that  very  room, 
and,  after  a  good  deal  of  discussion,  of  which  he, 
Pancratius,  had  not  understood  any  thing  be 
yond  that  all  the  talk  had  been  about  the  Jew 
Nahum  and  the  king's  daughter,  they  had  left 
to  arm  themselves  and  to  reassemble  at  a  certain 
public  house  outside  the  western  gate;  how  he 
had  seen  none  of  them  since,  although  he  had 
kept  his  house  open  all  night,  according  to  their 
own  wish;  and  how  he  therefore  feared  that 
they  had  not  returned. 

Every  new  arrival  augmented  the  consterna 
tion,  for  as  yet  none  had  appeared  who  knew 
more  than  the  others.  Whenever  the  door 

9* 


102  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

opened  to  admit  a  new-comer,  they  all  would 
rush  forward,  and  all  at  the  same  time  exclaim, 
in  eager  tones, — 

"  What  news?     Have  you  seen  Abimelech?" 

«  No." 

"  Did  you  hear  any  thing  of  young  Haman  ?" 

"  No." 

"  Has  Mardeck  made  his  appearance  ?" 

«  No." 

"  Any  news  at  all  of  any  of  the  missing  fif 
teen?" 

«  No." 

And  "no"  it  was  throughout  the  whole  cata 
logue.  No  one  had  seen  or  heard  of  Abimelech 
or  any  of  his  companions.  It  passed  all  com 
prehension. 

At  length  a  young  man  whose  dress  and 
bearing  bespoke  him  one  of  the  higher  class,  and 
who  was  known  by  his  friends  as  "the  prince," 
made  his  appearance,  and,  with  looks  and  tones  • 
full  of  mystery,  informed  the  assembled  throng 
that  just  now  the  flight  of  Harim,  Nahum,  the 
king's  daughter  Hermione,  her  maid  the  lovely 
Tamar,  and  a  host  of  other  captive  Israelites, 
had  been  discovered.  "  They  have  been  followed," 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  103 

he  added,  "by  a  party  of  armed  troopers ;  but  no 
clew  to  their  whereabouts  has  as  yet  been  dis 
covered,  save  that  the  cottage  of  the  old  Jewish 
gardener  has  been  found  abandoned  and  burnt 
to  the  ground.  But  one  thing  besides  our  troop 
ers  have  seen;  namely,  the  footprints  of  a  large 
body  of  men  in  a  northerly  direction;  and,  as  it 
is  known  that  Abimelech  and  fourteen  of  his 
friends  left  the  western  gate  between  the  ninth 
and  tenth  hour  last  night,  it  is  supposed  that 
they  followed  the  fugitives,  as  some  of  the 
footprints  in  the  same  direction,  judging  by  the 
delicate  and  fashionable  finish  of  the  sandals, 
seem  to  be  made  by  the  former ;  and,  if  such 
is  the  case,  we  may  perhaps  soon  hear  of  them. 
One  thing  only  puzzles  everybody.  You  all 
know  that  for  some  time  the  northern  outskirts 
of  the  city  have  been  infested  by  a  large  band 
of  robbers,  and  therefore  it  is  not  at  all  impos 
sible  that  the  fugitives  as  well  as  Abimelech's 
party  have  fallen  in  with  them,  in  which  case  it 
is  probable  that  all  have  been  slain  or  captured. 
But  another  party  of  mounted  soldiers  has  been 
sent  in  the  direction  indicated;  and,  whatever 
may  have  been  the  fate  of  Abimelech  and  his 


104  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

friends,  we  shall  most  likely  soon  know  all  about 
it.  The  king  is  nearly  frantic  at  the  disappear 
ance  of  his  daughter,  and  has  offered  a  large  re 
ward  for  her  recapture;  wherefore  I  do  not 
doubt  that  we  shall  soon  have  the  fugitives  back 
again,  if  they  have  not  been  already  slain;  for 
nothing  stimulates  officials  and  hirelings  to  such 
exertions  as  the  hope  of  being  well  rewarded. 

"  Should  Abimelech  liberate  Hermione  and 
bring  her  safely  back,  then  will  he  indeed  be 
fortunate;  for  Shalmenezer  solemnly  declares 
that  in  that  event  the  two  shall  be  united  with 
out  further  delay,  and  Abimelech  will  surely 
succeed  to  the  throne. 

"And,  furthermore,  this  flight  of  the  Israelites 
and  their  ingratitude  to  the  king,  who  has  done 
so  much  for  them,  have  turned  our  ruler's  former 
good  will  toward  them  into  such  deadly  hatred, 
that  he  will  readily  listen  to  and  accept  the 
advice  of  his  son-in-law  to  sweep  the  cursed 
race  out  of  existence. 

"But  who  comes  here?  News,  news,  my 
friends !  It  is  Tareck,  who  was  with  the  second 
party,  sent,  under  command  of  Sennacherib,  to 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  105 

pursue  the  fugitives,  and  who  therefore  can  give 
us  the  desired  information. 

"  Hail,  Tareck !  well  met !  Ho,  Pancrace  ! 
A  brimming  tankard  of  thy  best !" 

The  friends  had  shaken  hands;  but,  on  his 
inquiring  gaze  now  encountering  that  of  Tareck, 
the  prince  suddenly  relaxed  his  hold,  and,  in 
startling  tones,  exclaimed, — 

"What,  in  the  name  of  all  the  gods,  is  the 
matter?  Thou  lookest  as  if  thou  hadst  seen 
a  ghost !  Speak !  What  ails  thee  ?" 

But  Tareck  did  not  speak.  He  seized  the 
tankard  brought  by  mine  host,  and  at  one 
draught  swallowed  its  contents:  then,  in  a 
solemn  and  trembling  tone,  he  said, — 

"  Our  friends  are  dead,  slain  like  dogs !  while 
Abimelech  is  cut  in  twain ! 

"The  place  where  the  dead  bodies  were 
found,"  he  continued,  "  shows  all  the  signs  of  a 
conflict,  while  the  footprints  in  the  soft  ground 
indicate  that  a  strong  party  must  have  been 
engaged. 

"  But  I  cannot  believe  that  the  fugitive  Israel 
ites  have  done  this  work.  It  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  the  northern  outskirts  of  the  city  are 


106  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

infested  by  a  strong  band  of  robbers ;  and  I  be 
lieve  that  in  pursuing  the  fugitives  Abimelech 
has  fallen  in  with  the  desperadoes;  for  I  cannot 
for  one  moment  entertain  the  thought  that  the 
unarmed  and  weak  sons  of  Israel  should  have 
been  able  to  overcome  and  slay  a  force  so  well 
armed  and  disciplined  as  our  fifteen  friends  un 
doubtedly  were. 

"  But  the  strangest  part  of  the  affair  is,  that, 
although  the  ground  consists  for  miles  around 
of  the  same  soft  substance,  no  traces  could  be 
discovered  either  back  from  or  beyond  the  scene 
of  action.'* 

And  so  it  was. 

When  the  fifteen  men  ordered  by  Mordecai 
to  remove  the  dead  bodies  left  their  friends, 
to  perform  their  work,  they  went  as  far  as 
they  could  through  the  shrubbery,  where  they 
were  sure  that  their  feet  would  not  leave  any 
traces  in  the  soil,  while  they  moved  on  with 
such  caution  as  not  even  to  displace  a  single 
twig  or  bough ;  and  when  they  had  gone  far 
enough  in  that  manner  to  be  certain  that 
the  direction  whence  they  had  come  could  not 
be  perceived,  they  moved  out  upon  softer  soil, 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  107 

where  they  purposely  let  their  feet  sink  deep 
into  the  ground;  and,  not  satisfied  with  this, 
each  man  left  as  many  prints  as  he  possibly 
could,  and  they  even  put  the  dead  on  their  feet 
and  caused  them  to  leave  their  traces,  which 
might  easily  be  discovered  by  any  pursuers, 
until  they  came  to  a  spot  that  seemed  fit  for 
depositing  their  burdens.  Here  they  jumped 
and  stamped  about  for  some  time,  they  tussled 
with  each  other,  to  make  it  appear  as  if  a 
sharp  conflict  had  taken  place,  and  then  they 
left  the  bodies  in  such  positions  as  to  appear  as 
if  they  had  been  slain  there. 

After  every  thing  had  been  arranged  to  their 
satisfaction,  the  Israelites  threw  themselves  on 
their  bellies,  and,  snakelike,  moved  back  to 
the  shrubbery  without  leaving  a  single  back- 
;  ward  footprint.  On  arriving  opposite  the  west 
ern  gate,  they  soon  found  themselves  on  the 
tracks  made  by  Nahum,  his  companions,  and 
their  pursuers,  which  they  succeeded  in  ob 
literating  so  completely  that  nothing  was  dis 
covered  by  the  parties  sent  after  them  the 
next  day,  as  has  been  seen  by  the  various  re 
ports. 


108  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

"When  I  had  seen  all  this,"  Tareck  con 
cluded,  "  I  stood  rooted  to  the  spot ;  and,  bewil 
dered  by  the  spectacle  before  me,  and  not  know 
ing  what  I  was  doing,  I  turned  my  horse's  head 
and  galloped  back  to  the  city. 

"But  now  let  us  out  into  the  street,  for 
Sennacherib  and  his  soldiers  will  soon  return 
with  the  remains  of  our  friends." 

The  narrator  had  been  listened  to  with 
breathless  anxiety,  while  every  one  in  the  room 
seemed  spell-bound  and  thunder-struck. 

But  when  the  report  was  finished,  they  all 
arose,  and,  vowing  deepest  vengeance  on  the 
murderers,  whoever  they  might  be,  they  simul 
taneously  rushed  into  the  street,  to  add  to 
the  din  and  confusion  existing  there.  All 
Nineveh  was  indeed  now  the  scene  of  the 
wildest  excitement;  but  in  the  crowd  there 
were  only  a  few  who  knew  what  it  was  about, 
while  no  one  was  able  to  say  what  was  to  be 
done.  By  this  time  Almanzor,  with  a  host 
of  other  high  officers  of  the  realm,  who  had 
already  been  informed  by  Tareck  of  all  that 
had  occurred,  had  appeared  upon  the  scene. 
All  the  soldiers  in  the  city  were  under  arms, 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE  RED   MEN.  109 

bugles  sounded  and  drums  beat  to  quarter  in 
every  direction,  orderlies  were  seen  to  fly  hither 
and  thither,  the  gates  were  closed,  to  guard 
against  any  surprise,  and,  in  fact,  the  city  wore 
the  aspect  of  a  besieged  garrison. 

After  a  little  while,  an  officer,  mounted  on  a 
fiery  coal-black  charger,  was  seen  to  come  from 
a  street  leading  to  the  northern  gate  and  ap 
proach  the  king's  captain.  A  short  consultation 
ensued.  Then  Almanzor  nodded  his  head,  and, 
surrounded  by  his  staff  and  followed  by  his  sol 
diers  in  battle-array,  he  moved  off  in  the  direc 
tion  whence  the  messenger  had  come. 

When  the  second  party  under  command  of 
Sennacherib  left  the  city,  they  went  out  of  the 
northern  gate,  and  were  not  long  in  finding  the 
tracks  made  by  the  cunning  Israelites  for  the 
purpose  of  leading  their  pursuers  astray.  On 
discovering  the  footprints  the  Assyrians  uttered 
an  exultant  shout  and  impetuously  dashed  for 
ward,  not  doubting  that  they  soon  would  over 
take  the  fugitives. 

But  when  they  at  length  reached  the  spot  where 
the  corpses  of  Abimelech  and  his  followers 
were  deposited,  their  exultation  was  soon 


10 


110  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

checked,  and,  horror-stricken,  they  gazed  on 
the  scene  before  them. 

The  sight  which  presented  itself  was  indeed 
one  to  strike  awe  into  the  stoutest  heart. 

Fourteen  corpses,  the  faces  turned  up  to  the 
sun,  were  ranged  side  by  side,  a  deep  gash  about 
three  inches  long,  and  alike  in  every  forehead, 
showing  the  way  by  which  the  soul  had  left  its 
late  abode;  while  the  two  halves  of  Abimelech 
were  placed  at  the  head  of  the  ghastly  column. 

But  the  shock  the  soldiers  had  felt  on  first 
beholding  the  revolting  spectacle  soon  passed 
away,  and  terrible  were  the  curses  and  deep 
the  vows  of  revenge  hurled  after  the  murderers. 
Then  they  all  set  to  work  to  discover  the  route 
these  had  taken  after  finishing  their  bloody 
work ;  but,  behold !  no  traces  were  to  be  found 
beyond  or  back  from  that  terrible  spot.  How 
had  they  got  away?  Had  the  earth  swallowed 
them,  or  had  they  been  raised  up  into  the  air  ? 
It  was  altogether  unaccountable. 

There  must  have  been  some  supernatural 
power  at  work.  Yes,  there  was  no  doubt  that 
the  murderers  must  be  leagued  with  either  God 
or  the  devil!  And  thus  the  terror  the  Assy- 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  Ill 

rians  had  felt  on  beholding  the  fate  of  their 
countrymen  returned,  and  was  fearfully  aug 
mented,  until  all  the  soldiers  fairly  trembled 
with  superstitious  fear,  and,  gathering  up  the 
remains  of  their  slain  friends,  they  madly 
hastened  back  toward  the  city. 

Almanzor  and  his  followers  had  meantime 
arrived  at  the  gate,  which  now  was  thrown 
open,  and  in  strode  Sennacherib,  followed  by  his 
troopers  bearing  the  sad  remains  of  the  king's 
cousin  and  his  companions,  which,  after  having 
been  carried  through  the  principal  streets  of 
Nineveh,  were  deposited  in  their  family  sepul 
chres.  Then  the  soldiers  dispersed,  to  tell  their 
tales  of  terror,  and  succeeded  so  well  in  impart 
ing  their  own  superstitious  fears  to  the  rest  of 
their  comrades,  as  well  as  to  their  fellow-citizens, 
that  all  began  to  tremble  with  apprehensions 
of  some  impending  calamity. 

The  watches  at  the  several  gates  were 
doubled;  some  of  the  inhabitants  rushed  into 
their  temples  to  invoke  the  help  of  their  gods ; 
while  not  one  was  to  be  found  that  would  have 
been  brave  enough  to  leave  the  city,  at  least 
on  that  day,  for  fear  of  some  impending  doom ; 


112  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

and  so  the  efforts  of  the  Israelites  to  give  their 
flight  and  the  subsequent  occurrences  the  most 
mysterious  appearance  had  produced  the  desired 
effect. 

We  now  leave  Nineveh  and  its  inhabitants  to 
recover  at  leisure  from  their  terror,  while  we  re 
turn  to  our  friends  in  the  subterranean  vaults. 

After  the  last  of  the  fugitives  had  retired  to 
rest,  and  when  all  was  quiet,  Mordecai  arose 
again;  and,  not  feeling  quite  secure  as  long  as 
there  remained  a  possibility  of  their  retreat 
being  discovered,  he  paced  the  room  in  silent 
sorrow. 

At  last  an  idea  seemed  to  strike  him;  for  his 
pace  became  more  animated,  and,  lighting  a 
small  torch,  he  proceeded  to  the  often-mentioned 
trap-door.  This  he  lifted  by  means  of  a  se 
creted  lever,  and  went  up  into  the  cot.  Here 
all  was  now  bleak  and  bare,  every  useful  article 
having  been  removed  on  board  the  vessel.  The 
old  man  went  out  to  the  rear  of  the  building, 
where  he  gathered  a  heap  of  leaves  and  dry 
wood:  this  he  placed  around  the  trap-door  in 
such  a  manner  that,  on  being  set  on  fire  and 
burned,  the  ashes  and  cinders  must  fall  on  the 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  113 

stone  slab,  thus  covering  all  crevices  and  com 
pletely  hiding  the  entrance.  Then  he  set  fire 
to  the  leaves  and  returned  to  the  vault,  drawing 
the  heavy  stone  after  him. 

In  the  dry  leaves  the  flame  soon  spread. 
Higher  and  higher  it  rose,  steadily,  majestically; 
now  it  reached  the  wooden  walls,  then  the  ceil 
ing,  up,  up;  at  last  the  devouring  element  seized 
on  the  roof,  and  anon  the  entire  structure  was  en 
veloped  in  one  bright  sea  of  flame,  illuminating 
the  country  for  miles  around.  Had  there  been 
any  one  awake  in  Nineveh,  the  conflagration 
must  have  been  seen ;  but  the  unusual  stir  and 
excitement  of  the  day  had  produced  uncommon 
fatigue,  and  irresistible  drowsiness  had  closed 
every  eye;  and  so  the  flames  raged  on,  unno 
ticed,  uncared  for. 

But  the  object  of  Mordecai  was  gained :  the 
cot  fell  with  a  crash,  its  ruins  completely  oblite 
rating  all  traces  of  any  underground  habitation. 

The  old  man  had  heard  the  fall  of  his  late 
dwelling,  and  it  filled  his  soul  with  joy  and  con 
fidence.  He  sank  down  on  his  knees,  to  com 
mune  with  his  Maker,  the  God  of  his  people : 

then  he  lay  down,  and  soon  was  buried  in  sleep. 
H  10* 


114  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

The  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens  when  the 
sleepers  awoke,  and,  much  refreshed,  they  arose 
to  begin  the  work  before  them. 

But  first  the  maidens  were  introduced  to  the 
assembled  Israelites;  and  great  were  the  re 
joicings  of  all  at  their  safe  deliverance  thus 
far. 

Then  Mordecai  sank  on  his  knees,  followed 
by  every  one  present,  and,  raising  his  aged  hands 
on  high,  he  prayed.  He  thanked  Jehovah  for 
his  great  goodness  and  mercy,  he  invoked  the 
divine  blessing  on  their  perilous  undertaking, 
and  then  he  arose  and  blessed  his  hearers. 

Next  he  took  Nahum  and  Harim  by  the  hand, 
and,  presenting  them  to  the  multitude,  said,  in 
a  deep  and  solemn  voice, — 

"  Children,  I  thank  you  for  the  love  shown  to 
me  thus  far.  I  thank  you  for  the  confidence,  the 
willingness,  and  the  obedience  with  which  you 
have  followed  me  under  all  circumstances,  with 
which  you  have  executed  all  my  commands. 

"  I  need  not  repeat  to  you  that  all  I  have  said 
and  done  has  been  for  your  own  good  :  you  have 
shown  that  you  always  have  felt  this  to  be  so. 
Fain  would  I  continue  to  be  your  guide  and 


THE  FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  115 

commander;  but  I  am  getting  old  and  feeble. 
The  weight  of  threescore  and  ten  years  is  quite 
enough  to  unfit  a  man  for  a  situation  of  such  re 
sponsibility  as  the  leadership  in  an  undertaking 
like  ours.  I  have  therefore  resolved  to  throw 
the  burden  of  this  responsibility  on  younger 
shoulders. 

"  In  these  my  two  noble  and  beloved  nephews 
you  behold  two  scions  of  the  royal  house  of  Jehu. 

"  He  on  my  right,  our  esteemed  friend  Nahum, 
would  in  all  probability  have  been  now  our  king 
had  we  not  lost  our  independence ;  and  only  last 
night,  when  he  slew  the  cruel  enemy  of  our  race 
at  the  head  of  fourteen  armed  men,  he  showed 
himself  worthy  to  be  our  leader.  Him  do  I  there 
fore  appoint  my  successor;  and  with  this  kiss 
do  I  anoint  him  your  chief. 

"  He  on  my  left,  our  noble  son  and  brother 
Harim,  has  in  every  respect  and  under  all  cir 
cumstances  shown  himself  the  true  and  devoted 
friend  of  his  countrymen ;  and  he  too  proved  last 
night,  when  in  company  with  Nahum  and  La- 
mech  he  stood  like  a  rock  against  fearful  odds, 
that  he  is  to  be  trusted.  Him  do  I  name  Na- 


116  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

hum's  chief  assistant,  and  him  also  do  I  thus 
anoint  with  the  kiss  of  love. 

"  Men  of  Israel,  behold  your  leaders.  Love, 
honor,  and  obey  them. 

"But  I  too  shall  remain  among  you.  In  all 
cases,  under  all  circumstances,  shall  iny  counsel 
and  advice  cheerfully  be  yours ;  and,  though  old 
and  feeble,  supported  by  the  strong  arms  of  your 
leaders,  I  shall  accompany  you  to  the  promised 
land ;  and  in  the  hour  of  need  will  my  voice  be 
heard  for  the  salvation  of  Israel." 

He  ceased.  The  Israelites  arose,  and  one 
simultaneous  shout  of  exultation  burst  from 
every  mouth. 

"Nahum  and  Hermione  !"  "Harim  and  Ta- 
mar!"  Cheer  upon  cheer  reverberated  through 
the  subterranean  vaults,  and  echo  threw  them 
back  as  with  ten  thousand  tongues. 

Old  Mordecai  was  not  cheered ;  but,  with  beam 
ing  eyes,  every  one  went  up  to  where  he  stood. 
They  took  his  wrinkled  hands  and  carried  them 
to  their  lips,  while  tears  of  love  and  gratitude 
rolled  down  their  swarthy  cheeks  and  spoke 
louder  than  words  the  feelings  of  their  bosoms. 

But  at  length  the  tumult  was  over,  and  the 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  117 

men  went  to  work.  The  vessel  had  received 
the  finishing-touches  on  the  day  before,  and 
now  the  last  provisions  were  carried  on  board, 
while  the  women  set  to  work  to  prepare  the 
sleeping-apartments  and  the  beds  of  dry  leaves 
and  moss.  Then  the  men  began  to  break  down 
the  wall  that  separated  them  from  the  river;  and 
at  the  sixth  hour  after  noon  all  was  accomplished, 
except  the  liberation  of  the  prisoners  and  the  re 
moval  of  the  vessel. 

As  all  now  were  for  a  time  at  leisure,  Nahum, 
Hermione,  Harim,  and  Tamar  went  to  old  Mor- 
decai  and  craved  his  blessing  to  their  union, — 
which  of  course  was  cheerfully  granted,  and 
preparations  were  at  once  made  for  the  cele 
bration  of  the  nuptials.  It  was  a  cheering  sight 
to  see  the  two  late  captives  and  menials,  but 
now  the  chosen  leaders  of  a  brave  and  deter 
mined  people,  in  the  full  bloom  of  manhood, 
with  their  beautiful  brides,  one  of  whom  was 
the  only  daughter  of  a  noble  king,  standing 
before  the  old  man,  who  officiated  as  high -priest 
on  the  occasion.  When  the  important  question 
was  asked,  "  Will  you  take  these  men  for  your 
lawfully  wedded  husbands?  will  you  love, 


118  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

honor,  and  obey  them  to  the  end  of  your  days  ?" 
a  loud,  fervent,  and  cheerful  "  Yes"  was  answered 
by  the  maidens ;  and,  according  to  the  beautiful 
custom  of  the  Israelites,  a  stout  glass  was  raised 
on  high  and  then  dashed  to  the  floor,  where  it 
was  shattered  in  ten  thousand  splinters,  thereby 
indicating  that,  as  the  several  parts  of  the  glass 
could  not  be  severed  but  by  the  breaking  of  the 
vessel,  so  the  tie  that  bound  the  two  hearts  could 
not  be  dissolved  until  death  should  destroy  it. 

The  ceremony  over,  the  young  husbands  drew 
their  wives  to  their  bosoms  and  sealed  the  con 
tract  with  a  fervent  kiss.  Then  the  entire  party 
sat  down  to  a  frugal  banquet ;  and,  although  the 
meal  consisted  of  but  rough  fare,  a  more  joy 
ous  and  happy  wedding  has  seldom  been  wit 
nessed. 

At  length  the  hour  of  midnight  drew  nigh  and 
admonished  the  revellers  that  the  time  for  their 
last  work  in  the  vault  was  approaching.  They 
therefore  arose,  saw  that  every  thing  was  in 
its  place,  and  Mordecai,  with  six  men,  went  to 
liberate  the  prisoners.  They  provided  them 
selves  with  flaming  torches,  went  to  the  first 
vault,  and  with  their  united  strength  raised  the 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN".  119 

trap-door  which  led  to  the  outer  world,  and 
which  they  left  wide  open. 

Then  they  proceeded  to  the  room  of  Bareck 
and  his  three  men,  and,  after  ascertaining  that 
all  four  were  sound  asleep,  they  unlocked  the 
door  and  then  hastened  back,  after  first  breaking 
off  the  iron  knob  which  connected  with  the 
spring  that  held  the  stone  slab  in  one  of  the 
walls  separating  the  two  underground  apart 
ments.  They  then  carefully  and  securely  put 
the  stone  back  in  the  aperture,  until  the  click  of 
the  spring  told  them  that  communication  with 
the  chamber  in  which  they  and  their  friends 
were  was  beyond  the  power  of  any  human  being 
in  the  first  vault,  unless  by  breaking  the  wall. 

They  now  went  on  board  their  vessel,  where 
all  the  others  were  already  assembled, — thus 
leaving  their  late  prisoners,  the  four  Assyrians, 
free  to  find  their  wray  back  to  Nineveh  as  best 
they  might. 

By  this  time  the  tide  was  beginning  to  come 
in,  and  ere  another  half-hour  had  passed  it  was 
at  its  height.  The  rocking  of  the  vessel  now 
indicated  that  it  was  afloat;  and,  under  the 
direction  of  Mordecai,  four  of  the  stoutest  men 


120  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

were  put  on  the  benches  constructed  for  that 
purpose,  and  set  to  working  the  oars. 

The  vessel  began  to  move  forward.  A  few 
strong  pulls,  and  the  fugitive  Israelites  were  in 
the  middle  of  the  river  Tigris. 


THE  FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  121 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

DEPARTURE  AND  JOURNEY. 

WITH  the  foresight  that  had  thus  far  cha 
racterized  all  his  undertakings,  old  Mordecai 
had  for  some  time  applied  himself  to  the  study 
of  the  system  of  the  heavenly  bodies ;  and  by 
attentive  observations  he  had  succeeded  in 

;  acquiring  a  fair  knowledge  of  astronomy.  But 
this  was  not  all.  He  had  at  the  same  time 
become  acquainted  with  the  regularly-recurring 

j  tides  of  ebb  and  flood.  With  what  certainty 
he  was  able  to  foretell  the  flood  tide  at  mid 
night  has  already  been  seen;  but  he  was  just 
as  certain  of  the  fact  that  this  tide  would  only 
last  a  stated  time,  after  which  it  would  return 
whence  it  had  come,  and  thus  aid  the  rowers 
materially  in  propelling  the  vessel.  And  that 
the  river  Tigris  emptied  into  a  larger  expanse 
of  waters  had  long  been  known  to  him,  as  he 
also  had  no  doubt  that  this  larger  expanse  of 

water  must  be   bounded   somewhere  by  land. 

11 


122  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

The  oppression  of  the  Israelites  while  in  As 
syrian  captivity  had  been  such  that  even  death 
was  preferable;  and  therefore  it  was  only  a 
question  of  time  whether  they  should  succeed  in 
reaching  a  land  where  they  might  once  more 
be  free  and  happy,  or  whether  they  should 
perish  on  the  frail  structure  they  had  now  so 
happily  succeeded  in  safely  launching  into  the 
river.  Worse  than  their  condition  had  been  in 
the  country  they  were  now  about  to  leave  it 
could  not  well  become ;  and,  if  we  take  into  ac 
count  the  unbounded  confidence  in  divine  pro 
vidence  that  had  now  so  firmly  taken  possession 
of  Mordecai's  heart,  it  is  not  at  all  surprising 
that  he  should  have  put  implicit  belief  in  his 
dream  as  sent  by  Jehovah  to  indicate  the  means 
by  which  he  might  break  the  chains  of  his 
unfortunate  countrymen, — what  it  undoubtedly 
was. 

But  to  return  to  the  vessel.  It  had  safely  been 
brought  out  of  the  cavern  into  the  middle  of  the 
river  Tigris,  and  now  the  rowers  applied  all  their 
strength  in  propelling  the  vessel  down  the  stream, 
— a  task  in  which  they  succeeded  beyond  their 
most  sanguine  expectation;  and,  when  at  last 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  123 

the  tide  began  to  set  backward,  the  vessel  fairly 
shot  through  the  water  like  an  arrow. 

When  the  day  returned,  they  were  far  beyond 
Nineveh,  and  thus  far  had  not  been  seen  by  any 
mortal  eye.  We  now  must  go  back  for  a  short 
time  to  the  cavern  left  by  the  fugitives,  to  see 
what  had  become  of  Bareck  and  his  companions. 
When  they  awoke  the  next  morning,  they  were 
somewhat  surprised  by  the  deep  stillness,  that 
was  not  broken  by  the  slightest  sound ;  and  when 
some  two  or  three  hours  had  passed  without 
their  morning  meal  having  been  brought,  they 
became  somewhat  alarmed,  fearing  that  by  some 
means  or  other  their  captors  might  have  been 
induced  to  leave  the  cavern  and  had  left  them 
behind  to  perish  by  starvation. 

But,  before  resigning  themselves  to  their  fate, 
they  would  at  least  make  one  attempt  to  libe 
rate  themselves,  and  therefore  went  to  the  door 
of  their  room  to  try  its  strength.  But  judge 
of  their  surprise  when  it  yielded  to  the  first 
gentle  pressure  and  they  found  themselves  in 
the  outer  cavern !  Here  all  was  silent  as  the 
grave,  and  nobody  impeded  their  progress.  After 
advancing  a  little  farther,  they  saw  a  light 


124  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

streaming  into  the  vault,  which  they  soon  per 
ceived  to  come  through  the  opened  trap-door; 
and  in  a  short  time  they  stood  once  more  in  the 
free  air.  Here  they  marvelled  for  some  time 
at  the  charred  ruins  and  the  devastation  that 
met  their  eyes,  and  then  they  hastened,  as  quick 
as  their  feet  would  carry  them,  back  to  Nineveh. 
As  it  was  yet  very  early,  they  did  not  meet  any 
body  on  their  road,  and  found  the  gate  of  the 
city  still  locked.  Three  loud  raps  on  the  pon 
derous  portal  quickly  brought  the  sentinel  on 
duty  on  the  inner  side  to  the  small  wicket  con 
structed  in  a  side  door.  But,  when  the  man 
saw  the  faces  of  his  captain  and  of  his  three 
comrades,  he  started  back  as  if  he  had  seen  a 
ghost,  and  it  was  some  time  before  he  recovered 
from  his  sudden  fright  so  far  as  to  summon  the 
lieutenant  of  the  guard,  whom  he  informed  of 
what  he  had  seen,  and  who  then,  at  the  head  of 
his  entire  force,  had  the  gate  opened,  when  Ba- 
reck,  with  his  three  followers,  strode  in  and  was 
welcomed  back  by  his  men.  Mutual  explana 
tions  between  captain  and  lieutenant,  as  well  as 
between  the  reunited  guardsmen,  soon  followed; 
and  great  was  Bareck's  surprise  on  hearing  of 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  125 

the  mysterious  and  terrible  fate  of  Abimelech 
and  his  friends. 

But  he  had  no  doubt  as  to  the  perpetrators 
of  the  bloody  deed;  for,  on  the  night  of  the  occur 
rence  related  to  him,  he  had  been  awake  when 
the  last  fugitives,  with  the  king's  daughter  and 
her  maid  in  their  midst,  had  entered  the  cavern, 
and,  gluing  his  ear  to  the  key-hole  of  his  prison- 
door,  he  had  overheard  enough  of  their  conversa 
tion  to  understand  that  something  of  moment 
must  have  happened. 

He  now  at  once  left  his  lieutenant  and 
hastened  straight  to  the  dwelling  of  the  king's 
captain  and  minister  Almanzor, — where  his  ap 
pearance  created  as  much  surprise  as  it  had  oc- 
j  casioned  at  the  gate ;  and,  upon  intimating  to  the 
officers  in  waiting  that  the  communication  he 
had  to  make  to  their  master  was  of  the  utmost 
importance,  he  was  at  once  shown  into  a  private 
room  and  his  presence  announced. 

Almanzor  was  yet  in  bed  when  his  chamber 
lain  entered  the  sleeping-apartment;  but,  on 
hearing  that  Bareck  had  returned  with  commu 
nications  of  importance,  he  at  once  arose,  slipped 

11* 


126  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

into  a  loose  dressing-gown,  and  went  down  to 
meet  the  captain  of  the  guard. 

The  latter  gave  a  detailed  account  of  all  that 
had  occurred  to  him  since  the  night  he  had  let 
Harim  and  his  friends  out  of  the  city-gate.  "I 
did  not  like  the  appearance  of  these  men  at 
such  an  hour,"  he  said, — "particularly  as  I  recog 
nized  in  one  of  their  companions,  who  was  dis 
guised  as  a  lame  beggar,  the  assistant  of  that 
old  gardener  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Had 
their  purpose  been  honest,  why  that  disguise? 
and  I  at  once  suspected  treason  against  the 
peace  of  our  city,  if  not  against  the  precious 
lives  of  our  gracious  king  and  his  minister, — as 
it  was  no  secret  that  the  Israelites  did  not  re 
gard  us  with  very  friendly  looks.  But,  as  the 
head  steward  of  the  king's  household  exhibited 
a  royal  passport,  I  had  to  let  them  pass,  not 
daring  to  risk  the  wrath  of  our  ruler.  Yet  my 
mistrust  was  so  strong  that  I  determined  at  once 
to  have  the  wanderers  watched;  and,  when  I  had 
been  relieved  by  my  lieutenant,  I  selected  three 
of  my  men  and  went  straight  to  the  cot  of  old 
Mordecai,  to  see  if  my  suspicions  were  founded. 
On  nearing  the  place,  we  fell  into  an  ambush, 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  127 

and,  after  being  overpowered  by  superior  and 
well-armed  forces,  we  were  brought  to  a  subterra 
nean  vault  beneath  the  hut." 

Then  he  told  of  the  number  of  men,  women, 
and  children  he  had  seen  in  the  cavern,  their 
stores  of  arms  and  provisions,  then  of  the  con 
versation  he  had  overheard  regarding  Abimelech 
and  his  friends,  and  finally  of  the  disappearance 
of  the  Israelites  and  his  own  escape. 

Almanzor  listened  to  the  tale  in  silence  and 
growing  surprise;  but  he  could  not  doubt  the 
speaker,  as  much  of  what  he  related  was  already 
known  in  the  city. 

That  Abimelech  had  been  killed  by  none  but 
the  fugitives,  he  no  longer  doubted;  and  as,  ac 
cording  to  the  statement  of  Bareck,  the  Israelites 
could  not  have  left  their  retreat  earlier  than  the 
previous  night,  he  felt  quite  certain  that  there 
would  be  no  difficulty  in  overtaking  them.  He 
therefore  bade  the  captain  wait,  and  hurried 
back  to  his  bedroom  to  dress  himself. 

In  less  than  half  an  hour  he  returned,  told 
Bareck  to  follow  him,  and  went  straight  to  the 
barracks  of  the  troopers.  Here  he  ordered  the 
bugle  to  be  sounded  for  the  instant  appearance 


128  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

of  the  soldiers;  then  he  sent  one  of  them  to  his 
stables  for  his  fleetest  charger,  while  another 
one  was  brought  out  for  the  captain  of  the  guard, 
and,  in  a  very  short  time  after,  Almanzor,  at  the 
head  of  two  hundred  horsemen,  and  accompanied 
by  Bareck,  dashed  out  of  the  eastern  gate.  They 
first  went  to  the  site  of  the  burnt  cot.  Here  they 
dismounted,  and  the  king's  captain,  the  captain 
of  the  guard,  and  six  men  bearing  torches,  with 
which  they  had  provided  themselves  on  leaving 
the  barracks  and  which  they  lighted  at  some 
smouldering  embers  of  the  ruin,  descended  into 
the  subterranean  chamber.  On  looking  around, 
they  found  this  blank  and  empty :  not  a  single 
article  of  furniture,  or  any  thing  else,  was  to  be 
seen,  while  the  room  so  lately  occupied  by  the 
four  Assyrians  remained  in  the  same  condition 
as  they  had  left  it  that  morning. 

Almanzor  next  went  through  the  cavern,  and 
most  minutely  examined  the  floor  and  the  walls ; 
but  nothing  could  be  discovered.  He  passed 
the  revolving  rock  that  closed  up  the  entrance 
to  the  second  cavern;  he  even  perceived  the 
hole  where  the  rusty  iron  knob  had  been;  but 
the  wall  was  rough  and  uneven,  and  there  were 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  129 

'  <~ 

a  great  many  more  holes  similar  to  that  other 
one,  and  so  the  spring  escaped  detection. 

They  then  went  back  again  to  the  open  air 
;  and  carefully  examined  the  ground  around  the 
trap-door;  but  they  could  detect  not  a  single 
trace,  besides  those  made  by  Bareck  and  his  fol 
lowers  on  their  escape,  and  their  own.  Yet  the 
cot  might  have  been  burnt  down  after  the  escape 
had  been  effected,  and  so  covered  all  footprints 
in  the  immediate  vicinity.  And  therefore  they 
made  a  wide  circuit,  examining  the  ground  with 
closest  attention;  but  all  in  vain:  no  trace  could 
be  discovered  for  a  mile  around.  Next  they 
went  to  the  edge  of  the  bank;  but  this  was  very 
high,  and  hung  far  out  over  the  river,  so  that 
even  the  opening  in  the  second  cavern  could  not 
be  discovered  from  that  side.  And  as  the  flow  of 
the  river  was  very  rapid  in  that  spot,  and  as  the 
opposite  bank  was  also  very  high  and  too  steep 
to  admit  of  ascending  it,  it  was  quite  out  of  the 
question  that  the  fugitives,  with  their  women 
and  children,  should  have  crossed  over;  and  it 
never  for  once  came  into  Almanzor's  mind  to  go 
to  the  other  side. 

Disappointed  and  dissatisfied,  the  king's  min- 
i 


130  THE   LOST   TRIBES    OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

ister  divided  his  forces  into  two  equal  parts, 
and,  putting  the  one  under  the  command  of  Ba- 
reck,  while  he  himself  led  the  other,  he  bade 
the  soldiers  scour  the  country  for  miles  around, 
and,  after  four  hours'  diligent  search,  reassemble 
at  the  cot  to  report  the  result.  Stimulated  by 
the  hope  of  reward  that  each  man  knew  was 
awaiting  him  if  any  thing  should  be  discovered, 
they  all  exerted  themselves  to  the  utmost  to 
find  any  trace ;  but  all  to  no  purpose ;  and  at 
the  appointed  time  they  all  returned  to  the 
ruin,  each  party  having  the  same  tale  of  "no 
success"  to  tell. 

Now  they  all  returned  to  the  city,  to  relate 
what  they  had  heard  and  seen,  and  to  inform 
the  inhabitants  of  the  mysterious  and  utter  dis 
appearance  of  the  Israelites. 

And  here  we  will  leave  them,  bidding  them  a 
final  adieu,  while  we  mount  that  winged  horse, 
"thought,"  to  gallop  back  to  our  friends  the 
fugitives,  whom  we  left  sailing  undisturbed  and 
swiftly  down  the  clear  waters  of  the  Tigris, 
borne  on  by  the  receding  tide. 

After  a  little  while  the  eastern  horizon  changed 
from  a  deep  dark  to  a  light  gray;  then  it  grew 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  131 

• 

purple,  and  soon  the  first  beams  of  the  rising 
sun  gilded  the  earth. 

The  scene  that  presented  itself  to  the  gaze  of 
the  travellers  was  as  interesting  as  it  was  novel; 
for,  after  they  had  sailed  down  for  some  distance, 
the  banks  on  both  sides  of  the  river  receded, 
making  room  for  an  almost  endless  plain,  inter 
spersed  with  towering  hills  and  deep,  shady 
forests.  Hermione,  Tamar,  and  their  husbands 
stood  on  the  fore  part  of  the  vessel,  drinking  in 
the  fresh  morning  air  and  enjoying  the  lovely 
landscape,  while  the  rest  of  their  friends  that 
were  not  busy  in  other  parts  crowded  the  deck, 
to  let  their  eyes  rest  on  the  surrounding  country. 
i  Then  came  the  sense  of  being  free  once  more, 
to  fill  their  souls  with  gratitude;  and  many  a 
silent  but  fervent  prayer  of  thanksgiving  as 
cended  on  high. 

Mordecai  was  still  asleep ;  for  the  excitement 
and  bustle  of  the  last  four-and-twenty  hours  had 
exerted  their  due  effect  on  the  aged  limbs  of  the 
old  man,  and  his  followers  were  careful  not  to 
disturb  his  slumbers.  And  so  he  slept  on,  the 
sweet  sleep  of  the  just,  while  now  and  then  some 
pleasant  dream  seemed  to  visit  his.  couch ;  for  at 


132  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

short  intervals  a  heavenly  smile  overspread  his 
face,  and  his  lips  parted  as  if  in  silent  com 
munion  with  some  heavenly  vision. 

Meantime  the  rowers  worked  on,  and  the 
vessel  almost  flew  through  the  water. 

From  time  to  time  the  men  on  the  benches 
were  relieved  by  their  companions,  every  one 
eager  to  contribute  his  share  in  the  glorious 
work.  At  length,  when  the  sun  indicated  the 
ninth  hour  of  the  morning,  old  Mordecai  ap 
peared  among  his  friends,  his  countenance  lit  up 
by  happy  smiles ;  and  they  all  eagerly  crowded 
around  to  greet  their  liberator  and  father. 

The  old  man  raised  his  right  hand  in  response, 
and  then,  without  saying  a  word,  he  uncovered 
his  aged  head,  turned  his  face  heavenward,  and 
prayed  to  Jehovah. 

Then  he  blessed  the  multitude,  and,  covering 
his  head,  he  advanced,  embraced  Nahum  and 
Harim,  and  said,  "  Now,  my  children,  I  feel 
almost  young  again.  The  last  night's  rest  has 
refreshed  me  wondrously,  while  most  pleasant 
dreams  visited  my  pillow,  and  on  angels'  wings 
bore  my  spirit  to  the  land  of  promise.  Yes,  my 
friends,  more  fortunate  than  our  forefathers  were 


THE  FIRST  OF  THE   RED   MEN.  133 

L«A,  Jf 

under  Moses  and  Aaron,  we  shall  safely  reach 
our  destination,  and  not  one  of  our  number  will 
die  before  setting  his  foot  on  the  soil  of  that  new 
and  glorious  country. 

"  But  what  am  I  talking  about  ?  I  came  here 
to  tell  you  that  I  felt  the  cravings  of  appetite, 
and  to  invite  you  to  our  morning  meal,  which  I 
perceive  you  have  not  yet  taken. 

"  Our  daughters,  wives,  and  sisters  have  pre 
pared  us  a  princely  feast,  to  celebrate  this  the 
first  day  of  our  freedom  after  our  long  captivity; 
so  let's  down,  to  satisfy  our  stomachs." 

They  all  went  down ;  for  it  was  as  Mordecai 
had  said.  Out  of  respect  to  the  good  old  man, 
not  one  had  dared  to  even  speak  of  hunger  before 
their  aged  friend  should  arise  to  share  their  meal. 

The  repast  was  frugal,  as  usual,  but  bountiful 
and  well  prepared,  while  the  healthy  appetite 
and  the  unclouded  happiness  every  one  felt 
served  as  the  best  and  most  stimulating  spices. 

Joy  and  contentment  reigned  supreme  in  that 
room,  and  even  Hermione,  seated  by  the  side  of 
her  husband,  experienced  a  thrill  of  pleasure 
such  as  she  had  never  felt  in  the  costly-furnished 

apartments  of  her  royal  father's  palace. 

12 


134  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

After  the  first  cravings  of  hunger  were  ap 
peased,  a  general  conversation  ensued,  and  then 
Nahum  expressed  the  wish  to  hear  of  the  ex 
ploits  and  adventures  of  Mordecai  and  his  friends 
on  their  journey  from  the  interior  to  the  cot  of 
the  former. 

But  his  uncle  interrupted  him.  "  Nay,"  said 
he,  "the  time  for  long  and  idle  talk  has  not 
come.  As  yet  we  are  not  beyond  all  danger. 
As  yet  we  can  see  the  banks  of  the  river  on  each 
side,  and  therefore  are  liable  at  any  moment  to 
be  seen. 

"  Before  the  Tigris  empties  its  waters  into  the 
sea  it  passes  many  a  village  and  many  a  town. 
And  although,  fortunately,  none  of  the  in 
habitants  possess  the  means  to  intercept  our 
vessel,  yet  to  be  seen  might  be  dangerous  never 
theless.  The  different  tribes  that  inhabit  the 
banks  of  the  Tigris  are  firmly  allied  to  Assyria, 
and  therefore  they  are  no  strangers  to  the  fact 
of  the  destruction  of  Samaria  and  our  captivity. 
They  might  recognize  us,  and  suspect  our  in 
tention,  and  their  arrows  might  endanger  our 
lives,  while  heavier  missiles  which  they  could 
send  after  us  might  prove  fatal  to  our  frail  bark. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  135 

"  I  told  you  that  we  should  safely  reach  our 

destination,  and  that  not  one  of  our  number 

|  would  perish  before  setting  foot  on  the  land  of 

!  promise.     And  that  this  will  be  so  I  do  not  for 

I  one  moment  doubt ;  for  Jehovah  has  given  me 

\  the   promise   in   my  last  night's   dream,  when 

j  my  guide  of  the  voyage  that  I  made  in  spirit, 

reappeared  to  me.     But  it  behooves  us  to  do 

our  best  to  avoid  all  dangers  that  might  beset 

us  on  our  road.     I  therefore  would  counsel  you 

to  exert  the  utmost  caution.     Let  our  females 

and  children  keep  to  the  interior  of  the  vessel, 

and  only  come  on  deck  when  there  is  no  danger 

of  being   seen;   while  the  men  would  also  do 

well  by  keeping  out  of  sight  as  much  as  possible. 

I  should  have  had  our  morning  meal  set  out  in 

the  open  air,  instead  of  crowding  you  all  in  this 

room,  had  I  not  feared  the  danger  of  exposure. 

I  And  it  would  be  well  for  us  to  form  certain  rules 

j  for  the  guidance  of  every  one,  at  least  until  we 

j  leave  this  river ;  for,  once  in  the  open  sea,  no 

I  human  being  can  harm  us." 

Nahum  now  took  up  the  word.     He  thanked 
his  uncle  for  his  counsel.     He  commended  the 


136  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

old  man's  wisdom;  and  he  too  saw  the  necessity 
of  adopting  rules  and  regulations. 

It  was  then  resolved  that  not  more  than  ten 
men,  besides  the  four  rowers,  should  be  allowed 
on  deck  at  any  one  time  during  the  day,  while 
at  night,  when  there  was  no  danger  of  being 
seen,  every  one  might  come  up. 

The  different  meals  were  divided  into  three 
instalments,  so  as  to  avoid  crowding  the  room 
too  much ;  and  a  number  of  other  rules  of  minor 
import,  and  which  do  not  concern  the  reader, 
were  adopted.  The  assembly  then  broke  up. 
Some  remained  where  they  were,  while  the 
others  went  to  their  several  rooms;  and  Mor- 
decai, — who,  of  course,  was  permitted  to  go 
where  and  do  what  he  saw  fit, — accompanied  by 
Nahum,  Lamech,  and  some  of  their  friends, 
went  on  deck.  Their  first  care  was  to  have  the 
rowers  relieved,  and  then  they  looked  around 
them.  The  tide  had  set  in  long  ago;  yet  the 
vessel,  having  been  fairly  set  in  motion,  and 
being  well  assisted  by  vigorous  pulls  of  the  four 
oars,  had  lost  little  in  speed.  The  atmosphere 
was  clear,  and  in  the  far  distance  our  friends 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  137 

beheld  the  dim  outlines  of  a  great  city  situated 
on  the  right  bank  of  the  river. 

Now  the  moment  so  much  feared  by  Mor- 
decai  was  arriving,  and,  spite  his  assurance  and 
bravery,  the  old  man  trembled  for  a  moment. 
The  vessel  had  from  the  first  been  in  the  middle 
of  the  river,  and,  the  rowers  working  uniformly, 
she  had  thus  far  kept  the  same  route.  But  sud 
denly  a  bird  was  seen  flying  straight  toward 
the  ship,  followed  by  a  huge  hawk ;  and  in  its 
fright  the  former  flew  full  into  the  face  of  one 
of  the  rowers.  The  suddenness  of  the  blow 
took  the  man  by  surprise,  and  for  some  minutes 
his  oar  hung  in  the  water,  until  the  rower  had 
recovered  from  his  fright.  But  the  other  men 
worked  on;  and  thus,  the  one  side  of  the  vessel 
being  worked  only  by  one  oar,  (whose  effect  was 
moreover  greatly  lessened  by  the  other  one 
that  hung  in  the  water,)  whereas  the  other  side 
was  worked  upon  with  the  undiminished  force 
of  two  stout  men,  the  ship  changed  her  course, 
and  shot  to  one  side  of  the  river.  Mordecai 
had  seen  it  all;  and  his  soul  was  filled  with  joy. 
It  had  shown  him  the  means  to  guide  the  vessel 

at  will,  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  a 

12* 


138  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

rudder  constructed  on  the  same  principle  as  his 
oars,  which,  rude  though  it  was,  served  his  pur 
pose  to  his  entire  satisfaction. 

And  so  his  principal  fear  was  allayed. 

By  this  time  they  had  come  near  the  city ; 
but  the  river  here  was  very  wide,  and,  as  the 
old  man  guided  his  vessel  as  far  as  possible  to 
the  opposite  side,  there  was  very  little  danger, 
even  if  they  should  be  seen  and  their  purpose 
known.  And  well  was  it  for  them  that  the 
means  for  guiding  the  ship  had  so  opportunely 
come  to  their  hands;  for,  on  coming  opposite  the 
city,  their  vessel  was  seen  by  some  soldiers  who 
happened  to  be  near  the  river,  and,  spite  the 
great  distance,  they  had  been  recognized  and 
their  purpose  at  once  divined.  A  number  of 
arrows  were  sent  after  them,  while  some  of  the 
soldiers  took  up  heavy  stones;  but,  as  the 
former  missiles  fell  harmless  into  the  water  long 
before  reaching  the  vessel,  all  thoughts  of  attack 
ing  the  fugitives  were  abandoned  by  the  inhabit 
ants  of  the  city.  But  the  Israelites  saw  that 
some  of  the  soldiers  hurried  off  into  the  town; 
and  shortly  afterward  the  signs  of  great  com 
motion  became  visible.  Horsemen  were  seen 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  139 

dashing  back  and  forward,  while  one,  bolder 
than  the  rest,  forced  his  animal  into  the  water 
and  swam  toward  the  vessel.  But  he  never 
returned.  When  he  came  within  the  proper 
distance,  an  arrow,  sent  by  the  unerring  hand 
of  Nahum,  pierced  his  brain,  and  he  sunk 
into  his  watery  grave.  On  beholding  the  fate 
of  their  companion,  the  other  soldiers  withdrew, 
leaving  the  fugitives  to  pursue  their  way ;  and 
soon  after  the  latter  were  out  of  sight.  But 
had  they  been  obliged  to  follow  the  course  they 
had  taken  at  first,  viz.  in  the  middle  of  the 
river,  there  is  no  knowing  what  might  have 
become  of  them,  and  perhaps  Columbus,  when 
he  came  to  America,  would  have  found  that 
country  uninhabited. 

On  the  Israelites  this  occurrence  had  made 
no  impression;  for  they  had  implicit  confi 
dence  in  their  guide,  and  he  had  told  them 
that  there  was  no  occasion  for  fear,  while  those 
that  were  in  the  interior  of  the  vessel  knew 
nothing  about  it  until  they  were  far  beyond  the 
place. 

And  now  they  sailed  on,  passing  several  other 
towns  at  night-time,  until,  four  weeks  after 


140  THE   LOST  TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

quitting  Nineveh,  they  reached  the  end  of  the 
Tigris  and  came  into  the  river  Euphrates, 
whence  six  days  later  they  emerged  into  the 
Persian  Gulf.  Here  there  was  less  danger  of 
being  seen;  and,  without  meeting  with  any  acci 
dent,  the  fugitives  sailed  on,  and  on  the  seventh 
day  of  their  entrance  into  the  gulf  they  ran 
into  the  Strait  of  Ormus.  This  they  quitted 
after  a  half-day's  hard  rowing;  and  now  the 
blue  waters  of  the  Bay  of  Arabia  opened  before 
them,  whence  they  soon  emerged,  by  keeping  on 
their  straight  southerly  course,  into  the  Indian 
Ocean.  They  now  had  lost  sight  of  the  land, 
and  saw  nothing  but  sky  and  water.  The 
grandeur  and  sublimity  of  the  spectacle  before 
them  filled  their  souls  with  awe;  while  now 
they  felt  that  they  were  free  indeed.  And  in 
the  exuberance  of  this  feeling  they  sank  on 
their  knees  with  one  accord,  and  raised  their 
cheerful  voices  to  heaven. 

It  was  now  ten  weeks  since  they  had  left  the 
land  of  their  oppressors,  and  their  clothes  had 
become  dirty  and  travel-stained.  The  women 
therefore  set  to  work  to  wash  the  garments,  and 
then  they  fastened  stout  cords  across  the  deck 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   IkTEN.  141 

of  the  vessel,  to  hang  the  pieces  out  to  dry.  A 
lively  breeze  had,  in  the  mean  time,  sprung  up  in 
the  east,  and,  the  wind  catching  in  the  clothes, 
the  rowers  instantly  felt  that  a  new  and  strong 
impulse  had  been  given  to  the  movement  of  the 
ship.  They  soon  communicated  their  .observa 
tion  to  each  other ;  and,  to  test  it  still  further, 
they  lifted  their  oars  out  of  the  water  and  held 
them  suspended, — when,  to  their  surprise,  the 
vessel  went  on  even  faster  than  before.  One 
of  the  men,  Keuben  by  name,  then  suggested 
the  expansion  of  a  large  sheet  as  high  up  as 
possible;  and,  this  meeting  with  the  approval 
of  the  rest,  he  and  one  of  his  companions  left 
their  places,  and,  fastening  their  oars,  they  nailed 
two  long  poles  opposite  each  other  to  the  railing 
of  the  deck.  To  these  they  tied  a  stout  rope, 
on  which  they  fastened  a  large  sheet ;  but,  per 
ceiving  that  most  of  the  force  of  the  wind  was 
lost  by  the  sheet  being  raised,  to  let  the  air 
escape,  they  fastened  the  other  end  of  the  novel 
sail  to  the  deck,  and  then  went  back  to  observe 
the  result. 

The  effect  was,  wonderful;  for  not  only  was 
the  labor  of  the  rowers  made  unnecessary,  but 


142  THE  XOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

the  speed  of  the  vessel  was  increased  to  such 
an  extent  that  the  fleetest  charger  would  have 
been  unable  to  cope  with  her.  All  this  had 
been  going  on  in  the  small  hours  of  the  morning, 
and  while,  with  the  exception  of  the  four  rowers 
and  the  women,  everybody  on  board  was  sound 
asleep. 

Before  Mordecai  retired  the  previous  night, 
he  had  fastened  the  rudder  with  cords,  so  as  to 
keep  the  craft  in  her  straight  course.  But 
the  wind  and  the  waves  had  loosened  it;  and 
gradually  the  east  wind  changed  the  direction  of 
the  vessel,  until  she  headed  straight  to  the  west. 

But  the  men  on  deck  did  not  observe  this : 
they  were  too  full  of  joy  at  their  discovery  to 
have  eyes  or  ears  for  any  thing  else;  and  so  the 
bark  sped  on  her  new  course  without  interrup 
tion. 

While  this  had  been  going  on  on  deck,  a 
scene  of  a  different  character,  but  closely  allied 
to  that  on  deck,  had  been  enacted  in  the  interior 
of  the  vessel.  Old  Mordecai  was  sleeping 
soundly,  when  suddenly  his  spirit  awoke  and 
saw  by  the  side  of  the  old  man's  couch  the 
venerable  guide  of  his  former  journey.  A 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  143 

smile  played  upon  the  face  of  the  heavenly 
messenger,  while  his  right  arm  was  stretched 
out  and  the  forefinger  of  his  hand  pointed  to  a 
certain  direction. 

"  My  son,"  said  he,  "  thy  trust  in  divine  provi 
dence  has  not  been  vain.  So  far  thou  hast  been 
in  the  right  direction  for  the  salvation  of  Israel ; 
but  now  thou  must  change  the  course  of  thy 
bark,  and  toward  the  setting  sun  shalt  thou 
seek  the  land  of  promise.  Arise !  go  on  deck, 
and  see  what  is  done.  Keep  thy  ship  in  the 
direction  she  has  taken,  and  soon  shalt  thou 
reach  that  country  where  thou  mayest  prosper, 
where  thou  mayest  lift  thy  heart  to  Jehovah's 
throne  in  his  own  temple." 

The  old  man  disappeared,  and  Mordecai 
awoke.  He  jumped  out  of  his  bed,  dressed  him 
self,  and  went  on  deck.  Here  he  was  surprised 
to  find  the  rowers'  benches  empty,  and  the  oars 
fastened  down. 

But  soon  he  felt  the  onward  motion  of  the 
vessel,  and,  on  raising  his  eyes,  he  beheld  the 
large  sheet  suspended  between  the  two  poles. 

The  white  seeming  clouds  on  the  vessel  of  his 


144  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

dream  stood  before  his  mind's  eye,  and  he  fell 
on  his  knees,  raising  his  hands  toward  heaven. 

"  I  thank  thee,  Jehovah  !"  he  cried;  "  for  thou 
in  truth  art  the  Father,  the  salvation,  of  Israel!" 

He  then  interrogated  the  men  on  deck  as 
to  the  meaning  of  what  he  saw,  and  soon  was 
informed  of  the  circumstances  attending  the 
happy  discovery,  while  at  the  same  time  he 
perceived  that  the  fastening  of  the  rudder  had 
been  cast  off,  and,  on  looking  up  toward  the  sun, 
now  about  two  hours  risen,  he  became  aware 
that  the  direction  of  his  ship  was  changed  to 
ward  the  west.  Now  the  rest  of  the  Israelites 
awoke  and  began  to  crowd  the  deck,  when  they 
were  informed  of  the  fortunate  discovery  just 
made,  and  all  united  in  a  heart-felt  prayer  of 
thanksgiving.  They  then  sat  down  to  their 
morning  meal,  which  now,  as  ever  since  the 
open  sea  had  been  reached,  was  served  on  deck; 
and,  this  being  finished,  Nahum  reiterated  his 
wish  to  be  informed  of  the  circumstances  at 
tending  the  removal  of  his  friends  from  the  in 
terior  of  Assyria  to  the  subterranean  chamber. 

This  time  Mordecai  made  no  objection,  and 
Reuben,  the  same  man  who  had  expanded  the 


THE    FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  145 

first  sail  that  was  ever  set  to  the  breeze,  related 
as  follows : — 

"I,  with  about  two  hundred  of  my  unfor 
tunate  countrymen,  had  been  carried  away  to 
Halah,  which  is  by  the  river  Gozan ;  and  hard 
indeed  was  our  lot.  From  morning  till  night 
we  toiled  and  bled  under  the  lash  of  our  cruel 
oppressors,  while  our  wives,  daughters,  and 
sisters  fell  victims  to  the  lusts  of  their  licentious 
masters.  Many  of  our  number  were  overcome 
by  their  sufferings.  They  fell,  to  rise  no  more, — 
when  their  corpses  were  left  on  the  field,  a  prey 
to  the  wild  beasts,  while  their  bones  to  this 
day  lie  bleaching  over  the  plains.  For  three 
long  years  we  endured  our  hardships;  when,  one 
day,  while  out  in  the  fields  toiling  beneath  the 
burning  rays  of  a  July  sun,  I  and  twelve  others 
beheld  an  old  man,  clad  in  rags,  rapidly  ap 
proaching  us.  When  he  came  nearer,  we  saw 
that  it  was  some  poor  unhappy  wretch  bereft 
of  reason.  He  gnashed  his  teeth,  raised  his 
hands  in  a  menacing  attitude,  and  ran  straight 
toward  our  overseers,  as  if  he  would  annihilate 
them  with  a  stroke  of  his  long,  bony  arm.  The 
hirelings,  cowards  as  they  were,  fled  before  this 

K  13 


146  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

single  old  man,  until  they  were  lost  in  the  dis 
tance,  and  when  we  stood,  irresolute  and  curious, 
to  see  the  end  of  this  strange  adventure,  the 
maniac  turned  upon  us. 

"He  made  a  sign  with  his  right  hand,  and  ut 
tered  a  single  word, — when  we  became  aware 
that  his  insanity  was  assumed,  and  that  he  was 
our  friend.  He  then  approached  us,  and  said, — 

"'  Brethren,  I  too  am  one  of  the  unfortunate 
sons  of  Israel !  But,  happier  than  you,  although 
a  captive,  I  am  free  to  do  what  I  like.  But 
this  is  no  time  for  idle  talk;  and  therefore  I  must 
be  brief.  Let  those  of  you  who  prefer  free 
dom  at  all  hazards  to  slavery  and  death  at 
the  hands  of  your  cruel  masters,  join  me,  at 
the  hour  of  midnight,  at  the  cedar  copse  that 
you  see  at  some  distance  to  the  right.  There 
you  will  find  others  of  your  countrymen,  whom 
I  have  seen  already.  And  be  careful  not  to  forget 
your  wives  and  children,  with  such  of  your 
property  as  you  can  safely  conceal  about  your 
persons/ 

"  And,  making  another  sign  with  his  hand,  and 
uttering  the  single  word  '  Caution/  the  man 
moved  off  as  quickly  as  he  had  come. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  147 

"We  now  awaited  the  return  of  the  overseers; 
but,  as  they  did  not  come  back,  we  continued 
our  work  until  the  hour  arrived  when  we  were 
permitted  to  go  home.  On  our  way  homeward 
we  were  rejoined  by  our  tormentors ;  and  many 
were  the  indignities  they  heaped  upon  us  for  not 
coming  to  their  rescue. 

"But  they  did  not  strike  us,  for  fear  that  we 
would  expose  their  cowardice  and  make  them 
the  laughing-stock  of  their  comrades;  and  so  we 
were  permitted  to  go  to  our  huts.  As  we  now 
had  been  in  bondage  so  long  and  had  never  made 
an  attempt  to  run  away,  (knowing  as  we  did  that 
it  would  avail  us  nothing,)  we  were  compara 
tively  free  after  our  day's  work  was  done,  and 
frequently  had  we  visited  each  other,  and  even 
taken  long  walks  with  our  wives  and  children. 

"On  this  evening,  and  when  our  last  meal  was 
finished,  we  all  assembled  in  the  hut  inhabited 
by  me ;  and  as,  by  the  talk  of  the  old  man,  it  was 
more  than  probable  that  an  immediate  move 
was  intended,  we  at  once  resolved  to  flee  with 
him,  let  the  consequences  be  what  they  might; 
and,  accompanied  by  our  wives  and  children,  and 
after  we  had  packed  up  as  much  of  our  small 


148  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

stores  as  we  could  conveniently  carry,  we  set 
out  toward  the  appointed  spot,  where  we  arrived 
a  little  before  midnight.  After  waiting  there 
for  about  half  an  hour,  we  were  joined  by  thirty- 
seven  of  our  countrymen,  with  their  wives  and 
children,  who  were  also  resolved  to  seek  freedom 
at  all  hazards. 

"  We  had  not  yet  seen  the  old  man ;  and  some 
of  us  even  began  to  fear  that  he  would  not  come, 
— when  suddenly  he  stood  before  us, — not  as  the 
beggar  bereft  of  reason,  but  a  venerable  old  man, 
with  bald  head,  and  long,  flowing  beard  of  snowy 
whiteness, — in  short,  our  good  old  father  Mor- 
decai.  He  told  us  of  Nineveh,  of  his  nephews, 
of  his  cot  and  the  subterranean  vault,  then  of 
his  dream  and  his  purpose.  He  asked  us  if  we 
would  share  his  fortunes ;  and  when  we  told  him 
that  we  were  resolved  to  dare  any  thing  rather 
than  remain  in  bondage,  a  happy  smile  lit  up 
his  face,  and  he  at  once  instructed  us  how  to 
proceed  in  order  to  reach  his  cot  in  safety.  '  For/ 
said  he,  'I  cannot  accompany  you,  as  my  mis 
sion  is  not  yet  ended.'  He  then  arose,  and,  ad 
monishing  us  to  lose  no  time,  went  off,  and  soon 
was  out  of  sight. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  149 

"We  stood  for  a  moment  in  hesitation,  but 
soon  overcame  that  feeling.  We  knew  that  the 
old  man  was  to  be  trusted,  and  therefore  at  once 
commenced  our  journey. 

"Expecting  that  an  immediate  move  was 
contemplated,  we  had,  on  leaving  our  huts,  pro 
vided  ourselves  with  as  much  provisions  as  we 
could  bring  away  besides  our  baggage;  and  when 
the  sun  arose  the  next  morning  we  were  far 
from  our  late  abode. 

"Following  the  instructions  of  our  liberator, 
we  now  sought  the  shade  of  a  deep  forest,  where 
we  rested  until  the  sun  had  gone  down  and  then 
resumed  our  march.  And  thus,  marching  and 
resting  alternately,  we  at  length,  nine  days 
i  after  our  departure,  arrived  at  the  old  man's 
cot. 

"Friend  Lamech,  when  he  heard  who  and 
what  we  were,  at  once  admitted  us  to  the 
i  vault;  and  there  we  remained  until  we  left  it 
on  board  this  vessel.  There  may  have  been 
dangers  in  our  road ;  but,  by  the  help  of  Jehovah, 
we  avoided  them  all.  And  now,  thanks  to  our 
noble  old  friend  and  father,  thanks  to  the  God 
of  Israel,  we  are  free  once  more !" 

13* 


150  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

Nahum  and  Hermione,  Harim  and  Tamar,  had 
listened  to  this  narrative  in  surprise  and  wonder, 
and  when  it  was  finished  they  arose,  went  up  to 
Mordecai  and  kissed  his  hand,  while  the  tears  that 
glistened  in  their  eyes  spoke  the  thanks  they 
would  once  more  express  for  what  he  had  done 
for  his  unfortunate  brethren. 

But  the  old  man  arose,  and  said, — 

"  No  thanks  are  due  to  me  for  what  has  been 
done;  for  what  I  did  was  for  my  interest  as  well 
as  for  that  of  my  unfortunate  brethren.  I  too 
desired  to  leave  the  land  of  our  enemies ;  and 
well  I  knew  that  only  by  uniting  our  forces  could 
this  be  brought  about;  and  that  we  have  suc 
ceeded,  that  we  have  accomplished  our  flight 
and  now  are  free,  is  the  work  of  Jehovah. 

"  To  Him  all  our  thanks  belong. 

"The  narrative  of  our  brother  Keuben,"  he 
continued,  "  answers  for  all,  as,  with  the  exercise 
of  proper  caution,  the  rest  of  our  friends,  and 
at  last  I  myself,  succeeded  in  reaching  the  sub 
terranean  vaults  in  safety,  without  encountering 
any  of  the  dangers  that  may  have  lurked  in 
our  path." 

It  should  be  stated   here  that  the  Israelites 


THE  FIRST   OF  THE   RED   MEN.  151 

who  left  the  city  of  Nineveh  to  join  the  fugi 
tives  numbered  about  fifty  men,  with  their  fami 
lies:  so  that  the  entire  number  of  persons  on 
board  the  vessel  was  somewhere  in  the  neigh 
borhood  of  six  hundred. 

By  diligence  and  economy,  Mordecai  had  been 
enabled  to  accumulate  provisions  enough  to  sup 
port  all  these  people  for  about  one  year;  and,  as 
he  firmly  believed  that  long  before  the  end  of 
that  time  they  would  reach  their  destination, 
he  had  no  fears  of  destitution. 

They  now  sailed  on;  but  soon  the  wind  began 
to  lull,  and  they  had  to  return  to  their  oars. 
After  a  few  days,  however,  the  breeze  sprang  up 
i  with  renewed  force, — and  the  oars  again  could 
be  dispensed  with.  And  so,  alternately  rowing 
and  sailing  before  a  wind  that  fortunately,  and, 
no  doubt,  by  the  especial  direction  of  Provi 
dence,  did  not  once  change  its  course,  they  at 
last,  just  nine  months  after  leaving  Nineveh, 
sighted  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

It  was  the  sixth  hour  after  noon  when  the 
men  on  deck  saw  the  land ;  and,  believing  this 
to  be  the  place  of  their  destination,  they  set  up  a 
great  shout  of  joy.  But  old  Mordecai,  whom 


152  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

the  shout  had  called  on  deck,  sadly  shook  his 
head,  for  he  saw  no  traces  of  the  lovely  land 
scape  of  his  dream. 

"  We  must  not  stop  here,"  he  said :  "  farther  on 
toward  the  setting  sun  lies  the  land  of  promise." 

But  he  was  troubled.  The  provisions  that  he 
had  expected  to  last  for  the  entire  journey 
were  nearly  consumed,  and  he  had  as  yet  seen 
no  signs  of  the  country  that  had  been  shown 
to  him  in  his  dream. 

The  more  he  looked  at  the  land  now  before 
them,  the  more  he  became  convinced  that  that 
was  not  the  place  of  their  destination,  and  that 
it  was  very  likely  their  journey  was  to  last 
another  nine  months.  How  he  should  be  able 
to  bring  his  brethren  safely  to  their  new  home 
after  the  means  of  satisfying  the  demands  of 
nature  had  been  exhausted,  he  did  not  know, 
and  in  silence  and  sorrow  he  paced  the  deck, 
not  daring  to  make  his  thoughts  known. 

But  soon  his  tired  limbs  refused  to  perform 
their  wonted  duties;  fatigue  overcame  the  old 
man,  and,  descending  to  his  bedroom,  he  threw 
himself  on  his  couch.  No  sooner  had  slumber 
closed  his  eyes  than  his  spirit  again  awoke,  and 


THE  FIRST   OF  THE   RED   MEN.  153 

the  mysterious  guide  of  his  first  voyage  reap 
peared,  and,  while  an  encouraging  smile  lit 
up  his  venerable  face,  the  heavenly  visitor 
said, — 

"  Fear  not,  my  son.  Be  not  faint  of  heart. 
Thinkest  thou  that  He  who  has  protected  thee 
thus  far,  who  has  led  thee  safely  through  all 
dangers,  will  abandon  thee  now  ?  Or  dost  thou 
fear  that  he  has  not  the  power  to  protect  thee 
further  ?  Look  around  thee.  Eight  in  front,  in 
the  very  path  of  thy  vessel,  thou  seest  a  land 
|  which  is  to  be  to  thee,  and  to  many  who  will 
come  after  thee  in  future  ages,  a  cape  of  good 
hope. 

"  There  thou  must  land.  The  interior  is  full  of 
1  fruit,  vegetables,  and  game.  Fill  thy  vessel, 
i  then  resume  thy  journey.  And  be  of  good 
I  cheer ;  for  in  nine  months  from  now  thou  shalt 
i  reach  the  land  of  promise. 

"But  henceforth  the  guidance  of  thy  bark  must 
be  left  to  me.  Be  careful  not  to  touch  the  rud- 
der,  while  thy  men  must  not  be  allowed  to  handle 
their  oars ;  for  I  am  appointed  by  Jehovah  to 
take  thee  to  the  country  that  he  has  given  thee 
without  further  aid  from  man." 


154  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

The  messenger  then  disappeared,  and  Mor- 
decai  slept  quietly  on. 

The  sun  was  high  in  the  heavens  when  the 
old  Israelite  awoke.  He  was  much  refreshed; 
and,  when  he  had  made  his  simple  toilet,  he  went 
on  deck.  Here  the  invigorating  morning  air 
fanned  his  cheeks,  and  anon  his  dream  came 
back  to  his  mind.  He  remembered  the  command 
given  him  by  the  venerable  guide  to  land  and  to 
replenish  his  store  of  provisions ;  and  when  he 
looked  around,  dreading  lest  the  land  they  had 
seen  on  the  day  before  had  been  passed  in  the 
night  and  was  now  far  in  their  rear,  he  was 
astonished  to  perceive  that  the  vessel  had  already 
touched  the  coast,  and  that  the  combined  strength 
of  thirty  muscular  men  was  not  able  to  remove 
the  craft  back  into  the  open  sea. 

Then  he  sprang  forward  and  bade  the  men 
desist ;  and  in  a  few  words  he  informed  them  of 
his  sadness  the  preceding  day  on  thinking  of  their 
situation  and  the  exhausted  state  of  their  larder. 
But  he  also  told  them  of  his  dream,  and  of  the 
advice  and  assurance  of  his  heavenly  visitor. 

And  now  the  ship  was  fastened  to  the  land, 
and  most  of  the  fugitives  with  Mordecai,  Nahum, 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  155 

and  Harim  at  their  head,  jumped  on  shore  and 
set  out  to  explore  the  interior. 

Ere  long  they  found  entire  forests  of  trees 
laden  with  nutritious  and  delicious  fruit,  and 
extensive  plains  overgrown  with  good  and 
wholesome  vegetables,  while  the  game,  from 
the  timid  hare  to  the  stately  stag,  appeared  in 
such  abundance  that  the  men  only  needed  to 
stretch  out  their  arms  to  catch  them. 

And  so  in  a  short  time  the  vessel  was  refilled 
with  even  better  provender  than  she  had  carried 
i  when  she  was  launched  on  the  broad  waters  of  the 
Tigris.  The  wanderers  also  found  an  abundance 
of  springs  of  the  purest  and  best  water  wherewith 
to  fill  their  empty  goat-skin  bags ;  and  before  the 
noon  of  the  second  day  after  their  landing  they 
were  provided  with  every  thing  needful  for  a 
continuance  of  their  journey,  when  the  vessel  was 
cast  loose  and  pushed  back  into  the  open  sea, — 
a  task  accomplished  this  time  by  three  men 
with  the  greatest  ease. 

After  sailing  a  few  days  in  a  westerly  direc 
tion,  the  wind  suddenly  changed  to  the  south 
east,  driving  the  ship  in  a  northwesterly  course, 


156  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

and  soon  after  she  emerged  into  the  Atlantic 
Ocean. 

Meantime  Mordecai  had  not  forgotten  the 
request  of  his  heavenly  visitor,  and  had  caused 
the  oars  to  be  taken  off  altogether,  while  the 
rudder  was  left,  but  never  touched  by  human 
hand. 

And  so  the  Israelites  sailed  on  to  their  desti 
nation,  their  vessel  guided  by  the  unerring  hand 
of  a  supernatural  power,  while  by  the  especial 
direction  of  Providence  the  wind — although  at 
times  blowing  hard  enough  to  cause  the  waters 
to  rise  up  in  foam-crested  waves — never  once 
changed  to  a  storm ;  and,  without  encountering 
any  thing  worth  relating,  they  at  length— just 
nine  months  after  leaving  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  and  eighteen  months  since  their  departure 
from  Nineveh — came  in  sight  of  what  are  now 
called  the  Bahama  Islands. 

Old  Mordecai  stood  on  deck  when  the  land 
first  appeared  in  the  distance,  and,  on  coming 
nearer,  he  recognized  the  green  vales,  the  silvery 
streams,  and  the  beautiful  forests  of  his  won 
derful  dream. 

And  with  his   arms  stretched  out,  as  if   to 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  157 

grasp  the  lovely  scene,  he  cried,  in  a  joyous  voice 
that  trembled  with  emotion,  "  Behold,  brethren, 
the  land  of  promise !"  and,  once  more  sinking  on 
his  knees,  his  prayers  and  thanksgivings  ascended 
to  the  throne  of  the  Almighty. 


158  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  FIRST  INHABITANTS   OF  AMERICA. 

AT  the  time  of  which  I  write,  that  cluster  of 
islands  now  known  as  the  Bahamas  was  one 
solid  piece  of  land,  separated  only  by  a  small 
stream  about  fifty  feet  wide  from  the  continent 
of  America,  of  which  it  then  formed  the  eastern 
most  point. 

This  point  was  one  of  the  most  lovely  spots 
on  the  face  of  the  earth.  The  climate,  although 
far  from  tropical,  was  still  clear  and  warm  enough 
to  favor  a  truly  tropical  vegetation. 

Beautiful  forests  of  almond,  citron,  and  orange 
trees  abounded,  while  the  green  vales  were  tra 
versed  by  silvery  streams,  pure  and  clear  as 
crystal,  whose  banks  were  covered  with  a  pro 
fusion  of  rich  and  rare  flowers. 

The  delicious  grape,  and  other  fruit  of  the 
richest  flavor,  were  found  in  abundance,  while 
almost  in  the  midst  of  this  natural  garden  a 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  159 

huge  volcano  reared  its  lava-crested  summit 
high  into  the  clouds. 

When  old  Mordecai  arose,  he  saw  Nahum  and 
Harim,  with  their  wives,  standing  beside  him, 
their  eyes  riveted,  in  wonder  and  rapture,  on  the 
lovely  landscape  before  them. 

"  0  father,"  Hermione  cried,  "  what  a  lovely, 
what  an  enchanting  scene !  Is  this  beautiful 
country  indeed  the  land  given  to  Israel  by  the 
merciful,  the  good  Jehovah  ?"  And,  filled  with  joy, 
she  threw  herself  into  the  arms  of  her  husband. 

In  the  mean  time  the  wind,  which  had  been 
blowing  very  strong  during  the  last  twelve  hours, 
grew  in  violence,  until  at  last  it  changed  to  a 
heavy  storm.  The  sea,  before  so  quiet  and 
smooth,  was  lashed  into  foam.  Its  waters  as 
cended  on  high  in  monstrous  waves,  and  chaos 
seemed  to  reign  supreme  over  that  boundless 
expanse. 

The  vessel  of  our  fugitives  soon  began  to  feel 
the  influence  of  this  change:  it  was  thrown 
about  like  a  play-ball  in  the  hands  of  a  giant ; 
anon  it  was  lifted  high  into  the  air  on  the  crest 
of  a  towering  wave,  and  then  it  sank  out  of 
sight  as  if  swallowed  up  by  the  roaring  waters. 


160  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

Finally  a  wave  mightier  and  higher  than  the 
rest  seized  the  frail  bark,  held  her  one  moment 
suspended  over  a  terrible  abyss,  and  then  threw 
her  high  on  the  shore.  On  striking  the  land,  the 
huge  structure  burst  asunder;  but  the  receding 
water  left  her  high  and  dry ;  and  our  Israelites, 
although  dreadfully  frightened,  found  themselves 
safe  and  sound  on  the  promised  soil. 

Our  friends  had  been  spell-bound  and  awe- 
stricken  when  the  storm  arose  and  they  began 
to  feel  the  violent  motions  of  the  ship ;  but  Mor- 
decai,  whose  coolness,  fortunately,  never  left  him 
for  a  moment,  quickly  drove  them  into  the  inte 
rior  of  the  vessel,  covered  the  holes  with  the 
doors  made  for  that  purpose,  and  then,  tying 
himself  to  one  of  the  rowers'  benches,  he  alone 
remained  on  deck.  When  the  vessel  went  to 
pieces,  the  bench  broke  loose,  and  the  old  man 
fell  into  the  hold;  but  he  fell  on  one  of  the 
beds  of  moss  and  dry  leaves,  and  therefore  suf 
fered  no  injury  other  than  a  somewhat  violent 
shock. 

The  first  care  of  the  wanderers  was  to  re 
move  the  parts  of  their  ship  and  her  contents 
farther  out  on  the  land;  and,  when  they  had 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  161 

ascertained  that  none  of  their  number  was  miss 
ing  or  injured,  they  set  to  work  with  a  will. 

They  first  moved  their  provisions, — of  which, 
to  their  great  joy,  they  found  a  considerable 
quantity  left;  then  they  took  their  furniture, 
tools,  &c. ;  and  finally  they  broke  up  the  remain 
ing  parts  of  the  vessel  and  brought  away  the 
pieces. 

By  this  time  the  storm  had  blown  over,  and 
the  sun  emerged  from  behind  the  last  dark 
cloud.  The  Israelites  built  a  great  fire,  to  pre 
pare  their  evening  meal;  and,  when  that  had 
been  partaken  of,  they  stretched  themselves  on 
the  ground,  where  they  soon  sank  into  a  deep 

sleep. 

***** 

Glorious  Sol  was  leaving  his  watery  bed,  and 
his  genial  rays  began  to  gild  the  tree-tops,  when 
our  sleepers  awoke  the  next  morning. 

They  arose  much  refreshed;  and  then  old 
Mordecai  kneeled  down  to  morning  prayers. 
After  that  he  arose  and  formally  resigned  into 
Nahum's  hands  his  office  as  chief  of  the  Is 
raelites. 

"My  mission,"  the   old   man   said,  "is  now 

L  14* 


162  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

ended.  Thanks  to  Jehovah,  you  are  free :  you 
now  stand  on  the  soil  that  he,  in  his  infinite 
goodness  and  mercy,  has  given  you. 

"You  now  can  pray  to  the  God  of  your 
fathers  in  his  own  glorious  temple,  without  fear 
of  molestation.  But  I  fain  would  rest  from 
my  labor;  I  would  live  in  peace  and  quiet  the 
few  days  that  I  may  be  spared.  In  our  friend 
Nahum  I  leave  you  a  successor  whom  you  may 
trust  under  all  circumstances:  he  will  be  the 
father,  as  Hermione  will  be  the  mother,  of 
Israel. 

"  Yet,  before  I  retire  from  my  office,  I  would 
once  more  admonish  you  to  keep  the  command 
ments  of  Jehovah.  Forget  not  what  he  has 
done  to  you. 

"While  Israel  walked  in  the  right  path,  she 
was  mighty  and  happy;  but  when  she  left  the 
right  course,  when  she  turned  her  heart  from 
the  true  God  of  her  fathers,  she  fell :  then 
Jehovah  withdrew  his  protecting  hand,  and 
her  enemies  triumphed  over  her.  When  in 
our  captivity  we  again  turned  our  hearts  to  the 
only  true  and  living  God,  behold  how  he  raised 
us  up,  how  wonderfully  he  helped  and  protected 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  163 

us  in  all  dangers,  until  now  we  are  once  more 
free ! 

"As  long  as  you  shall  do  right,  you  will 
prosper,  you  will  become  a  great,  a  mighty 
people ;  but  as  soon  as  you  cease  to  do  that 
which  is  right,  you  will  perish." 

The  aged  Mordecai  ceased,  and  Nahum  now 
arose  and  went  up  to  his  uncle.  He  embraced 
the  old  man  and  kissed  him;  then,  in  the 
name  of  his  friends,  he  once  more  thanked  him 
for  all  he  had  done  for  them.  "  Be  assured," 
the  new  leader  continued,  "  that,  as  long  as  our 
life  shall  last,  we  will  never  forget  your  wise, 
your  good  counsels;  as  long  as  our  life  shall 
last,  we  shall  love  and  honor  you  as  our  libe 
rator,  as  our  greatest  benefactor."  Then  he  took 
Hermione's  hand,  and  turned  toward  the  assem 
bled  multitude. 

"Brethren,"  he  said,  in  a  clear  and  manly 
voice,  "  I  have  been  appointed  your  leader  :  our 
father  has  deemed  me  worthy  to  be  his  succes 
sor,  and,  while  I  accept  the  trust  thus  reposed 
in  me,  I  here  most  solemnly  pledge  myself  to 
the  interests  of  Israel.  I  shall  always  be  your 
friend,  while  Hermione  will  be  your  mother; 


164  THE    LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

and  with  the  assistance  of  our  brother  Harim, 
and  under  the  guidance  of  our  venerated  friend 
and  father  Mordecai,  I  shall  be  able  to  lead  you 
to  happiness  and  glory." 

There  were  some  skilful  mechanics  among  the 
Israelites;  and  they  at  once  set  to  work  to  build 
tents  with  the  boards  of  their  vessel,  while  another 
part  of  the  men,  under  the  guidance  of  Mordecai, 
went  to  prepare  the  soil  for  agricultural  purposes ; 
and,  as  the  old  man  had  not  neglected  to  bring 
with  him  a  large  quantity  of  grain  and  different 
seeds  with  which  to  sow  their  well-cultivated 
acres,  all  soon  were  comfortably  settled. 

Now  Nahum  was  formally  installed  as  king, 
and  under  his  rule  the  young  colony  soon  be 
gan  to  prosper.  Fruit,  vegetables,  and  game, 
were  found  in  abundance  in  the  new  country ; 
and,  while  a  party  of  skilled  hunters  supplied 
the  tables  of  the  inhabitants  with  savory  meat, 
the  inland  streams  contributed  various  kinds  of 
the  finny  tribe. 

It  was  now  the  month  of  November,  and  the 
rains,  that  annually  set  in  in  this  new  country 
instead  of  the  severe  winter  of  other  lands,  soon 
began  to  fall. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  165 

The  tents  the  new  settlers  had  built,  although 
a  very  fair  protection  for  the  present,  were 
too  frail  in  construction  to  afford  an  entirely 
secure  shelter  for  a  longer  time;  and  it  was 
therefore  resolved  that,  as  soon  as  the  rains 
should  cease,  they  would  commence  the  building 
of  a  regular  city. 

The  interval  was  occupied  in  making  plans, 
and  in  such  other  work  necessary  for  building- 
purposes  as  could  be  performed  within  the  tents; 
and  when  the  spring  of  the  next  year  came 
around,  the  foundation  of  the  town  was  laid. 
After  six  years'  assiduous  labor,  the  new  city 
was  finished,  and  although,  of  course,  not  so 
good  and  substantial  as  our  modern  buildings, 
yet  the  houses  were  secure  and  comfortable  and 
presented  a  very  handsome  appearance. 

The  streets  of  "New  Samaria" — as  the  city 
was  called — were  straight  and  wide,  while  the 
houses,  with  the  exception  of  the  king's  palace, 
the  residence  of  Harim,  and  the  temple,  were 
of  one  size,  and  each  surrounded  by  a  well- 
cultivated  garden,  thus  giving  the  town  a  most 
beautiful  appearance.  The  king's  palace  was  a 
noble  structure,  with  numerous  out-houses,  the 


166  THE   LOST  TRIBES   OP  ISRAEL;    OR, 

whole  surrounded  by  a  magnificent  and  well-laid- 
out  park.  This  park  was  traversed  by  a  broad, 
silvery  stream,  which,  flowing  over  numerous 
picturesque  cascades,  formed  several  splendid 
waterfalls  in  miniature,  and  on  arriving  in  the 
middle  of  the  grounds  expanded  into  a  beautiful 
lake. 

Stately  trees,  over  whose  crowns  the  summers 
of  centuries  had  passed,  and  which  had  been  left 
standing  when  the  park  was  laid  out,  harbored 
in  their  branches  armies  of  rare  birds  of  richest 
plumage.  Delicious  grapes  of  golden  and  pur 
ple  hues  clustered  on  leafy  vines,  and  were  in 
terspersed  with  the  yellow  orange,  the  purple 
plum,  and  the  sweet  almond.  Flowers  rich  and 
rare  emitted  their  delicious  fragrance;  and  alto 
gether  this  garden  was  in  all  respects  a  perfect 
counterpart  of  Eden. 

The  house  of  Harim,  too,  was  a  noble  structure, 
and  it  also  was  surrounded  by  a  beautiful  park; 
while  the  temple,  that  stood  in  the  centre  of  the 
city,  rivalled  the  famous  temple  of  Solomon  in 
magnitude  and  elegance. 

In  the  king's  palace  there  was  a  suite  of  three 
rooms,  fitted  out  with  all  that  ingenuity  could 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN*.  167 

invent  and  persevering  industry  could  accom 
plish  for  elegance  and  comfort. 

These  were  the  apartments  of  Mordecai, — a 
fitting  tribute  of  love  and  veneration  on  the  part 
of  the  good  old  man's  grateful  countrymen. 

Lamech,  too,  was  an  inhabitant  of  the  royal 
palace. 

*  *      in**.   *  *  * 

It  was  little  more  than  six  years  after  the  land 
ing  of  the  Israelites.  In  a  large  hall  of  the  king's 
palace,  furnished  in  the  most  gorgeous  manner, 
seated  on  a  throne  ingeniously  constructed  of  the 
costliest  wood,  was  Mordecai.  On  each  side  of 
him  sat  Nahum  and  Hermione,  in  their  royal 
robes,  while  Harim  and  Tamar  occupied  two 
chairs  at  the  foot  of  the  throne.  The  higher  of 
ficers  of  the  realm  and  of  the  royal  household 
formed  a  semicircle,  in  the  centre  of  which  stood 
Ezra,  the  high-priest,  and  on  his  right  hand  a 
comely  dark-eyed  boy,  about  five  years  old,  and  on 
his  left  a  beautiful  little  girl  of  about  three  sum 
mers.  These  children  were  the  son  of  Nahum, 
named  Mishael,  and  the  daughter  of  Harim, 
named  Deborah;  and  that  day  had  been  chosen 
for  the  celebration  of  their  circumcision, — a  cere- 


168  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

mony  that  had  been  postponed  until  it  could  be 
performed  in  the  king's  palace. 

When  all  had  taken  their  places,  and  while  a 
deep  silence  reigned  throughout  the  assembled 
multitude,  Ezra  fell  on  his  knees,  and,  raising  his 
hands  on  high,  offered  up  to  Jehovah  a  fervent 
prayer,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  all  present. 

After  that,  Mordecai  descended  from  the  throne, 
and,  taking  both  children  by  the  hand,  blessed 
them,  and  then  the  solemn  ceremony  was  per 
formed  by  the  old  man  and  the  high-priest. 

This  done,  a  sumptuous  repast  was  served  up 
in  the  garden  of  the  palace,  of  which  all  the 
people  partook;  and  great  were  the  rejoicings 
of  the  assembled  multitude. 

Hermione,  whose  stately  form  and  queenly 
bearing  commanded  the  respect  and  admiration 
of  all  who  beheld  her,  moved  among  her  guests 
like  a  mother  and  a  sister.  She  had  a  kind  word, 
a  sweet  smile,  for  every  one  present ;  and  wher 
ever  she  appeared  she  was  greeted  with  loud 
manifestations  of  love  and  veneration. 

Tamar,  the  lovely  Tamar,  was  also  there ;  and 
she  likewise  received  the  hearty  congratulations 
of  her  friends  and  countrymen. 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  169 

At  length  the  feast  was  over,  and  the  Israel 
ites  dispersed  over  the  extensive  park,  some 
listening  to  the  sweet  strains  of  harp  and  lute, 
others  strolling  along  the  banks  of  the  beautiful 
lake,  while  the  younger  portion  of  the  assembly 
sought  the  remotest  parts  of  the  enclosure,  to 
listen  to  the  sweet  voices  of  the  feathered  song 
sters,  or  in  some  cool  and  shady  arbor  to  forget 
all  around  them  in  love's  sweet  communion. 

In  a  little  while  the  sound  of  trumpets  became 
audible,  and,  headed  by  a  band  of  music,  a  pro 
cession  of  beautiful  children  dressed  in  white 
was  seen  to  emerge  from  the  palace.  After 
them  came  a  little  carriage,  wherein  sat  Mi- 
shael  and  Deborah,  and  which  was  drawn  by  six 
boys  arrayed  in  gaudy  colors,  while  a  file  of 
other  boys,  dressed  in  the  fashion  of  David  and 
Solomon's  time,  closed  the  procession. 

They  went  over  the  greatest  part  of  the  park, 
and  on  their  march  they  were  joined  by  all  pre 
sent  in  the  enclosure,  who  had  been  attracted 
by  the  sounds  of  the  music  and  the  novelty  of 
the  scene.  At  the  entrance  of  a  huge  canvas 
tent,  that  had  been  constructed  on  the  bank  of 
the  afore-mentioned  stream,  and  at  the  foot  of 


15 


170  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

one  of  the  waterfalls,  stood  Nahum,  Hermione, 
Harim,  and  Tamar,  reviewing  the  advancing 
procession;  and  when  it  had  passed,  the  chil 
dren  were  left  to  their  plays,  under  the  super 
vision  of  some  older  attendants,  while  the  guests 
were  invited  into  the  tent,  where  another  band 
was  playing  up  to  the  lively  dance. 

Here,  led  by  Nahum  and  Hermione,  all  soon 
were  in  motion,  and  the  dancing  was  kept  up 
until  near  the  tenth  hour.  Then  followed  the 
sumptuous  evening  meal,  and  after  that  the 
dance  was  resumed. 

It  was  near  the  fifth  hour  after  midnight 
when  the  company  separated,  all  highly  pleased 
with  their  generous  chief  and  his  beautiful 
queen. 

And  so  the  first  inhabitants  of  America  lived 
on,  alternately  working  and  feasting,  little  dream 
ing  that  their  happiness  would  ever  come  to  an 
end. 

As  yet  old  Mordecai  was  with  them,  and  his 
counsels  prevailed.  Well  did  he  know  that  the 
happiness  and  prosperity  of  his  friends  was  the 
work  of  the  God  of  their  fathers,  and  most  con 
scientiously  did  he  admonish  them  to  walk  in 


r.HE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  171 

the  right  path.  But  old  age  now  began  to  show 
itself  in  all  earnest,  while  the  anxiety,  trouble, 
and  exposure  he  had  endured  during  the  last 
ten  years  of  his  existence  had  done  their  share 
in  undermining  the  once  vigorous  constitution 
of  the  liberator  of  the  Israelites.  And  already 
the  lessons  in  religion  the  latter  had  received 
from  their  heathenish  conquerors  began  to  show 
their  dangerous  consequences, — in  a  slight  and 
almost  imperceptible  degree,  it  is  true ;  but  yet 
Mordecai  had  trembled  when  first  he  became 
aware  of  it,  and  he  dreaded  to  think  of  the  time 
when  he  should  be  taken  away.  He  had  remon 
strated  with  Nahum  and  Harim  on  the  subject ; 
but,  although  they  had  admitted  the  truth  of  his 
observation,  and  had  done  every  thing  to  quiet 
him,  they  had  not  satisfied  him,  and  the  old  man 
began  to  fear  that  even  his  nephews  were  in 
danger  of  falling  into  the  errors  of  the  rest. 

But  he  had  done  all  he  could,  and  nothing 
was  left  him  but  to  pray  to  Jehovah  to  guide 
and  keep  his  friends  in  the  right  path. 

This  the  old  man  did  often  and  earnestly; 
but  how  his  prayers  were  answered,  we  will  see 
in  the  following  chapter. 


172  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 


CHAPTER  X. 


TEN  years  have  elapsed  since  the  incidents 
related  in  the  last  chapter.  The  population  of 
New  Samaria  had  increased  to  the  number  of 
several  thousands,  and  the  city  had  been  greatly 
enlarged. 

But  the  moment  long  dreaded  by  Mordecai 
had  at  length  arrived.  The  old  man  lay  at  the 
point  of  death.  All  that  love  and  gratitude 
could  accomplish  to  soothe  the  last  moments  of 
their  liberator  •  and  friend  was  done  by  Nahum, 
Harim,  and  the  Israelites  in  general ;  but  a  heavy 
burden  of  sorrow  and  anxiety  was  on  the  old  man's 
heart.  Only  too  clearly  had  he  seen,  in  the  latter 
years  of  his  life,  that  his  countrymen  were  be 
ginning  to  follow  the  ways  of  their  late  hea 
thenish  masters,  and  to  turn  away  from  the  God 
of  their  fathers,  and  dark  forebodings  had  over 
shadowed  his  soul. 

But  the  Israelites  had  never  given  him  the 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  173 

opportunity  to  reproach  them  directly;  for  they 
had  always  tried  to  hide  their  leaning  toward 
heathenism,  and  had  never  publicly  shown  it,  for 
fear  of  offending  their  honored  father.  And  so 
old  Mordecai  could  but  admonish  them  to  remain 
true  and  faithful.  But  all  his  admonitions,  he 
felt,  had  been  of  no  avail;  and  now,  while  at  the 
point  of  death,  he  shuddered  when  he  thought 
of  the  terrible  fate  that  surely  would  overtake 
his  erring  brethren. 

His  nephews  and  their  wives  were  beside  his 
couch,  and  with  his  last  breath  he  tried  to  warn 
them  of  the  fearful  consequences  of  a  sinful  life. 
But  soon  his  tongue  refused  to  do  its  duty,  and, 
with  the  word  "Jehovah"  half  uttered  on  his 
lips,  he  fell  back  and  expired. 

Great  and  sincere  was  the  grief  of  the  settlers 
when  they  heard  of  the  loss. 

The  city  was  shrouded  in  deep  mourning,  and 
for  an  entire  week  every  thing  wore  the  aspect 
of  a  great  calamity  having  befallen  the  inhabit- 
ants.  Then  preparations  were  made  for  the 
solemn  burial.  A  magnificent  coffin,  made  of 
the  costliest  wood,  inlaid  with  precious  stones 
and  mounted  with  gold,  had  been  provided,  and 


I 


15* 


174  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

on  the  eighth  day  after  his  demise  the  remains 
of  Mordecai  were  carried  out  of  the  palace,  and — 
followed  by  every  man  and  woman  of  New  Sa 
maria,  the  king,  the  queen,  Harim,  Tamar,  and 
Lamech,  at  the  head  as  chief  mourners,  in  solemn 
procession — deposited  in  the  vault  of  the  temple. 
The  Israelites  then  returned  to  their  homes ;  and 
for  a  long  time  afterward  nothing  was  thought 
or  spoken  of  save  the  many  excellent  qualities 
of  their  late  friend  and  liberator,  and  many 
were  the  secret  resolves  to  live  according  to  his 
precepts  and  example. 

But  alas  for  human  weakness  ! 

The  impression  made  by  the  godly  life  and 
the  solemn  death  of  old  Mordecai  was  at  last 
forgotten,  and  the  new  settlers  returned  to  their 
evil  ways.  Even  Nahum  and  Harim  forsook 
the  God  of  their  fathers.  Hitherto,  and  while 
their  uncle  had  lived  among  them,  they  had 
been  true  and  faithful ;  but  now  the  old  man 
was  gone,  and  his  counsels  were  no  longer  heard, 
while  the  ease  and  luxury  of  their  high  posi 
tions,  combined  with 

"  Idleness,  the  mother  of  all  vices/' 
had,  little  by  little,  corrupted  their  hearts.    And 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  175 

so  it  came  to  pass  that  the  court  of  the  king, 
which  should  have  been  an  example  of  right 
eousness,  became  the  centre  of  licentiousness 
and  iniquity,  whence  corruption  spread  through 
all  classes  of  the  community. 

Hermione  and  Tamar,  weak  creatures,  though 
faithful  and  righteous  thus  far,  were  but  too 
easily  guided  by  their  husbands,  whom  they 
loved  with  all  the  sincerity  of  a  pure  and  noble 
heart,  and  whose  examples  they  therefore  did  not 
for  a  moment  hesitate  to  follow. 

The  royal  palace  now  became  the  daily  scene 
of  debaucheries  and  wanton  feasts,  while  the 
altars  of  the  temple,  once  consecrated  to  Je 
hovah,  became  the  pedestals  of  heathenish  idols. 

And  so  the  children  of  Israel  sinned  against 
the  Lord  their  God,  who  had  safely  brought 
them  out  of  their  captivity  from  under  the 
hands  of  their  cruel  oppressors. 

They  caused  their  sons  and  daughters  to  pass 
through  the  fire ;  they  used  divination  and  en 
chantments,  after  the  manner  of  the  heathens ; 
and  their  feasts  rivalled  the  infamous  orgies  of 
Nebuchadnezzar  in  all  that  was  licentious  and 
wicked. 


176  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

But  one  man  was  there  in  New  Samaria  who 
saw  all  this  with  grief  and  sorrow.  The  soul  of 
Ezra,  the  high-priest,  was  troubled  when  he  saw 
the  desecration  of  the  temple,  when  he  beheld 
the  sinful  course  his  friends  were  pursuing. 

He  admonished  and  remonstrated ;  but  to  no 
purpose.  The  majority  of  the  people  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  all  his  words ;  while  the  king  and 
Harim  had  already  found  too  much  of  unholy 
pleasure  in  the  evil  path  they  were  following 
to  heed  the  exhortation  of  the  good  priest. 

But  Ezra  did  not  give  up  his  good  work.  He 
begged,  and  he  threatened  with  the  eternal 
punishment  that  certainly  would  overtake  them 
if  they  did  not  return  to  the  only  true  God  of 
Israel;  but  he  was  derided,  and  at  last  he  became 
the  object  of  the  most  intense  hatred. 

And  yet  the  exertions  of  the  old  man  did  not 
remain  wholly  unrewarded.  A  young  man,  Elia- 
kim  by  name,  who  possessed  some  influence 
among  his  countrymen,  became  at  length  con 
vinced  of  the  truth  of  the  words  of  the  high- 
priest;  and  through  him  about  two  hundred 
more  of  the  Israelites  became  converted  to  the 
teachings  of  Ezra. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  177 

But  what  were  these  against  the  far  greater 
number  of  their  opponents?  True,  the  former 
did  all  in  their  power  to  turn  their  breth 
ren  from  their  wicked  ways ;  but  it  was  of  no 
use.  The  latter  were  not  to  be  moved.  Of  the 
elder  people,  who  had  been  delivered  out  of 
their  Assyrian  captivity,  a  great  many  had  de 
parted  life ;  and  the  younger  ones — particularly 
those  that  had  been  born  on  the  voyage  or  in 
the  new  country — had  long  felt  and  become  dis 
satisfied  with  the  restraints  to  licentiousness 
which  the  strict  religion  of  Israel  imposed  on 
its  votaries. 

While  Mordecai  lived,  they  dared  not  even 
express  their  dissatisfaction,  and  were  obliged  to 
submit  to  the  Mosaic  laws  without  a  murmur. 

But  now  all  restraint  was  gone;  and  gladly 
and  eagerly  had  the  occasion  for  throwing  off 
I  all  reserve  been  embraced. 

It  is,  therefore,  not  be  wondered  at  that  Ezra 
and  his  followers  were  totally  unable  to  make 
the  slightest  impression  on  their  erring  friends ; 
and,  as  the  existing  difference  of  opinion  be 
tween  the  two  parties  was  not  unlikely  to 
lead  eventually  to  internal  strife  and  civil  war, 

M 


178  THE   LOST  TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

the  high-priest  and  his  adherents  at  last  re 
solved  to  separate  and  seek  a  new  country, 
where  they  might  be  freed  from  the  fate  which 
they  were  sure  would  soon  overtake  the  inha 
bitants  of  New  Samaria. 

The  latter  did  not  object  to  an  arrangement 
that  would  at  once,  and  without  the  slightest 
trouble  on  their  part,  rid  them  of  a  party  of 
men  who  were  opposed  to  their  mode  of  living, 
and  whose  presence  they  felt  would  be  a  per 
petual  reproach  to  themselves ;  and,  accordingly, 
our  two  hundred  friends,  with  their  wives  and 
children,  at  once  began  to  prepare  for  their  de 
parture. 

Eliakim — a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  with 
regular  features,  five  feet  nine  inches  high,  and 
withal  one  of  those  personages  whose  appear 
ance  indicates  that  they  can  be  trusted — was 
chosen  as  leader,  and  under  his  directions  the 
preparations  were  soon  completed. 

Six  rude  canoes  had  been  built,  in  which  to 
cross  the  stream  that  divided  the  new  Canaan 
from  the  continent  of  what  now  is  called  Ame 
rica;  all"  the  goods,  tools,  &c.  belonging  to  the 
emigrants  had  been  packed  and  conveyed  to 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE  RED   MEN.  179 

the  boats ;  and  on  a  fine  sunny  morning  of  the 
month  of  August,  twenty  years  after  the  land 
ing  of  the  Israelites  in  the  promised  land,  our 
wanderers,  numbering  with  their  wives  and 
children  about  five  hundred  souls,  left  New 
Samaria  and  crossed  over  to  the  continent. 
Arrived  here,  they  erected  tents,  and  resolved 
to  rest  for  some  time,  in  order  that  they  might 
deliberate  on  the  course  they  meant  to  pursue. 
Night  was  coming  on  when  the  camp  was 
ready.  Our  travellers,  therefore,  set  to  work  to 
prepare  their  evening  meal ;  and,  when  that  was 
partaken  of,  they  laid  themselves  down  to  rest. 
The  labors  of  the  day  had  been  very  fatiguing : 
the  emigrants,  therefore,  were  soon  fast  asleep, 
!  and  it  was  late  the  following  morning  when  they 
awoke. 

After  a  frugal  morning  meal  had  been  prepared 
and  partaken  of,  Eliakim  appointed  some  of  the 
younger  and  more  robust  of  his  followers  to 
accompany  him,  while  he  set  out  to  hunt  and 
to  explore  the  interior  of  the  country.  The 
weather  was  splendid :  not  a  cloud  was  visible 
in  the  skies,  and  a  lively  breeze  tempered  the 
heat  of  the  sun. 


180  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

Our  hunters  had  proceeded  but  a  short  dis 
tance  when  they  came  to  a  lovely  dale,  that 
was  traversed  by  a  small  stream,  whose  waters 
were  clear  as  purest  crystal,  and  whose  green 
banks  seemed  to  be  the  rendezvous  of  innume 
rable  flocks  of  game,  from  the  stately  deer  to 
the  tiny  rabbit,  which  were  quietly  feeding  and 
gambolling  on  the  greensward. 

The  appearance  of  our  party  seemed  to  excite 
the  curiosity  of  the  animals  to  the  utmost;  but 
beyond  that  the  latter  evinced  no  emotion.  It 
was  evident  that  they  had  never  before  seen  a 
human  being,  and  that  they  regarded  them  only 
as  a  new  species  of  their  kind.  The  men  had, 
therefore,  no  difficulty  in  securing  alive  as  many 
of  the  quadrupeds  as  they  wanted,  and  even  their 
doing  this  did  not  disturb  the  rest,  who  quietly 
continued  to  feed  and  to  gambol. 

After  spending  some  time  in  their  new  occu 
pation,  Eliakim  despatched  some  of  his  followers 
with  the  captured  animals  back  to  the  camp, 
where  they  were  to  direct  their  friends  to  cage 
and  feed  the  game,  and  kill  them  only  as  they 
might  be  wanted.  In  a  short  time  the  mes 
sengers  returned;  and  then  the  entire  party  re- 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  181 

sumed  the  journey,  taking  along  with  them  a 
fat  buck,  to  serve  them  as  food.  When  evening 
came,  they  had  travelled  over  a  considerable 
extent  of  country,  through  deep  forests  and 
lovely  vales;  and  then  they  halted,  and,  after 
lighting  their  camp-fires,  cooked  some  small 
game  they  had  killed  on  their  march,  after 
which  they  lay  down  to  sleep. 

The  next  morning  the  journey  was  resumed; 
and  so  they  travelled  on,  hunting  and  exploring 
the  country.  Game  and  all  kinds  of  nutritious 
fruit  they  found  in  abundance ;  and  eight  days 
after  their  setting  out  our  wanderers  returned 
to  the  camp  of  their  friends,  whom  they  found 
in  good  condition  and  high  spirits. 

Eliakim  now  informed  the  Israelites  of  the 
result  of  the  exploration, — whereupon  it  was  de 
cided  to  move  on;  and  the  morning  after  the  re 
turn  of  the  hunters  saw  the  entire  party  once 
more  on  the  journey.  Of  the  animals  that  had 
been  caught  by  Eliakim  and  his  companions,  a 
great  number  were  still  alive ;  and  the  Israelites 
had  succeeded  in  taming  them  to  such  an  extent 
that  they  could  be  used  for  carrying  part  of  their 
luggage. 


1 


182  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

By  following  a  southwesterly  course,  our 
wanderers  at  length  canie  to  the  banks  of  a 
mighty  river;  and  here  they  resolved  to  build 
a  city.  Stone  and  wood  they  found  in  abun 
dance;  and,  as  there  were  some  skilful  mechanics 
among  them,  who  possessed  a  good  store  of  ex 
cellent  tools,  the  foundation  of  the  town  was 
soon  laid,  and  then  the  work  proceeded  in  good 
earnest. 

One  day,  while  the  workmen  had  built  a  fire 
and  were  preparing  their  dinner,  some  stones 
had  been  left  in  the  fire;  and  when,  after  the 
meat  was  cooked,  the  men  threw  water  on  the 
flames  to  extinguish  them,  they,  to  their  sur 
prise,  saw  the  stones  fall  to  pieces  and  crumble 
into  dust,  which,  by  uniting  with  water,  was 
soon  dissolved  into  a  paste.  This  paste  again 
mixed  with  the  ashes  and  sand  lying  around; 
and,  after  stirring  this  mixture,  the  laborers 
produced  a  cement  which  they  at  once  saw 
would  be  of  great  use  to  them  in  building  their 
houses. 

The  men  now  set  to  work  to  collect  as  many 
of  these  stones  as  they  could  find,  and,  after 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  183 

burning  them  thoroughly,  found  themselves  in 
possession  of  an  excellent  mortar. 

And  now  the  building  was  continued,  and, 
after  ten  years  of  hard  labor,  the  city  was 
finished. 

Great  were  the  rejoicings  of  the  Israelites 
when  they  beheld  the  mighty  work  of  their 
hands,  whose  ruins,  when  they  were  discovered 
centuries  afterward,  excited  the  wonder  and 
admiration  of  the  world. 

But  not  long  did  our  wanderers  enjoy  the 
possession  of  their  new  home. 

The  spot  where  the  town  had  been  built  was 
very  swampy,  and  soon  proved  to  be  so  un 
healthy  that  the  inhabitants  found  that  they 
either  must  remove,  or  else  expect  a  speedy  ex 
termination. 

Accordingly,  one  fine  morning,  about  one  year 
after  the  city  had  been  finished,  the  Israelites 
packed  up  their  movables  and  set  out  to  find 
another  and  healthier  spot,  where  they  again  at 
once  set  to  work  to  lay  out  and  build  another 
town.  But  this,  too,  was  abandoned  soon  after  it 
had  been  finished,  as  our  wanderers  had  by  this 
time  become  so  accustomed  to  a  roving  life  that 


184  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

they  could  not  be  persuaded  to  stay  in  any  one 
place,  and,  as  the  raising  of  cattle,  of  which 
they  had  succeeded  in  catching  and  taming  a 
good  stock,  had  become  their  principal  occupa 
tion,  it  was  desirable  to  find  the  best  pasture, 
and  to  leave  the  ground  when  that  began  to  give 
out. 

And  thus  it  happened  that  several  towns 
and  hamlets,  the  colossal  ruins  of  which  have 
been  discovered  in  later  centuries,  when  they 
excited  the  wonder  and  admiration  of  the  world, 
were  alternately  built  and  abandoned. 

But  we  now  must  leave  the  wanderers  in 
their  rambles  through  the  country,  and  return 
to  the  city  of  New  Samaria,  with  the  inha 
bitants  of  which  place  rests  the  sequel  of  our 
history. 

We  left  Nahum,  Harim,  and  their  followers 
in  their  new  city,  where  they  continued  to  live 
in  licentiousness  and  iniquity,  after  the  manner 
of  the  heathens. 

Mishael,  the  son  of  Nahum,  was  twenty  years 
old,  while  Deborah,  Harim's  daughter,  had 
reached  her  eighteenth  summer.  Both  had 
grown  exquisitely  beautiful;  but  the  examples 


THE  FIRST   OF  THE   RED   MEN.  185 

of  their  parents  and  neighbors  had  corrupted 
their  hearts. 

Nahum  and  Hermione,  as  well  as  Harim  and 
Tamar,  had  by  this  time  become  the  parents 
of  many  children,  all  of  whom,  after  reaching 
a  certain  age,  were  allowed  to  live  together  with 
out  the  least  restriction ;  and  so  it  had  happened 
that  Mishael  and  Deborah  had  already  become 
parents,  without  being  united  in  the  holy  bands 
of  matrimony. 


16* 


186  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE   GHOSTS,   AND  THE   SOLEMN  WARNING. 

AGAIN  five  years  had  elapsed.  Nahum  and 
Hermione  had  witnessed  the  birth  of  many 
grandchildren,  and  the  teachings  and  warnings 
of  old  Ezra  had  long  been  forgotten. 

The  Israelites  had  now  become  so  hardened  in 
iniquity  that  not  a  vestige  of  their  former  re 
ligion  was  to  be  found  among  them. 

Every  house  in  New  Samaria  had  its  images 
and  idols,  before  whom  the  inhabitants  burned 
incense  and  sacrificed  the  blood  of  their  own 
children.  The  temple  had  been  changed  from 
the  house  of  Jehovah  to  the  temple  of  Moloch, 
and  the  latter  was  served  by  twenty  priests, 
whose  licentiousness  beggared  all  description. 
In  short,  New  Samaria  had  become  an  abode  of 
vice. 

It  was  a  lovely  morning  in  the  month  of  June, 
and  the  city  was  decked  out  with  all  the  pomp 
of  a  heathenish  festival. 


fi™ 


THE  FIRST  OP  THE  RED  MEN.  187 

That  day  the  image  of  Moloch  was  to  be  borne 
through  the  principal  streets  of  New  Samaria 
in  solemn  procession.  That  day  was  set  apart 
for  the  great  sacrifice.  A  virgin,  whose  person 
had  not  been  polluted  by  the  touch  of  man, 
was  to  be  dedicated  to  the  idol.  Abominable 
mockery ! 

Very  few  there  were  among  the  maidens  of 
the  city  who  had  remained  pure  amid  all  the 
bad  examples,  all  the  licentiousness,  that  sur 
rounded  them. 

But  those  few  were  among  the  bravest  and 
the  best ;  and  they  were  therefore  chosen  by  the 
accursed  priests  of  Moloch  to  minister  to  their 
own  infernal  lust,  to  their  own  beastly  desires. 

It  was  to  be  decided  by  lot,  drawn  by  the 
priests  themselves,  which  of  the  poor  girls 
that  had  been  branded  as  pure  was  to  be  the 
victim. 

I  say  that  had  been  branded  as  pure ;  for  in 
those  days  it  was  regarded  a  crime  for  a  maiden 
to  be  chaste  after  reaching  the  fifteenth  year; 
and  so  severe  were  the  heathenish  statutes  made 
and  most  rigorously  enforced  by  the  priests,  that 
the  king  himself  would  not  have  dared  even  to 


188  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

murmur  if  one  of  his  own  children  had  been 
selected  for  the  sacrifice. 

And  now  the  doors  of  the  temple  were  thrown 
open,  and,  preceded  by  a  band  of  music,  the 
twenty  priests  of  Moloch  emerged  into  the  street, 
clad  in  their  gaudy  robes  of  office.  After  them 
came  twenty-five  young  girls  dressed  in  red 
skirts,  while  their  bosoms  down  to  the  waist 
were  left  naked.  Long  hair,  black  and  glossy 
as  the  raven's  wing,  fell  in  numerous  ringlets 
down  on  their  snowy  shoulders,  while  in  their 
hands  they  bore  wreaths  and  bunches  of  rare 
flowers. 

Then  followed  a  closed  carriage  drawn  by 
twelve  youths,  whose  dress  consisted  of  a  pair 
of  short  scarlet  pantaloons,  the  other  part  of  the 
body  being  left  naked,  like  the  bosoms  of  the 
girls  preceding  them. 

Within  the  carriage,  dressed  in  white,  and  their 
faces  covered  with  thick  veils,  were  seated  six 
young  girls,  whose  ages  varied  from  sixteen  to 
eighteen  years,  and  who  were  the  only  ones 
to  be  found  in  New  Samaria  deserving  the  ap 
pellation  of  virgin.  And  as  a  reward  for  this, 
as  a  reward  for  the  constancy  and  fortitude 


THE  FIRST  OF   THE   RED  MEN.  189 

with  which  they  had  withstood  all  temptations, 
they  were  now  being  borne  to  the  sacrifice. 

One  of  their  number  was  destined  to  become 
the  property  of  the  most  licentious  rascals  in  all 
the  city,  to  become  the  slave,  the  victim  who, 
though  ostensibly  a  sacrifice  to  the  heathen  deity, 
in  reality  was  to  minister  to  the  beastly  lust 
of  the  accursed  priests,  and  who,  after  their 
devilish  desires  were  satiated,  was  doomed  to 
perish  by  the  most  miserable  of  all  deaths,  that 
of  starvation. 

Following  the  carriage  came  the  king  and  the 
queen,  accompanied  by  Harim  and  Tamar,  and 
followed  by  the  officers  of  the  royal  household, 
all  of  whom  wore  their  uniforms  of  state. 

Next  were  the  young  men  and  women,  attired 
in  the  most  shameless  manner ;  and  at  last  came 
the  aged  and  feeble,  closing  the  procession. 
It  was  a  disgusting  sight  to  behold  how  the 
latter  tried,  in  manner  and  dress,  to  imitate  the 
levity  and  wantonness  of  their  sons  and  daugh 
ters. 

Nahum  the  king,  and  Hermione  his  queen, 
were  clad  in  their  royal  robes;  but  their  faces 
wore  sad  and  desponding  looks. 


190  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

In  the  wagon  before  them,  and  among  the  six 
maidens  one  of  whom  was  to  be  the  victim,  sat 
Talmai,  their  best-beloved  child,  their  hearts' 
idol;  and  a  dark  presentiment  had  already  told 
them  that  she  of  all  was  destined  for  the  sacri 
fice. 

In  vain  had  the  king  exerted  all  the  influence 
of  his  high  station  to  ward  off  the  blow  from  the 
head  of  his  devoted  darling.  But,  alas !  he 
himself  had  led  his  people  in  the  way  of  the 
heathens,  and  now,  according  to  the  custom  of 
all  heathenish  nations,  the  priests  of  their  first 
deity  had  become  all  powerful  with  the  inhabit 
ants  of  New  Samaria. 

Hermione  had  humbled  herself  into  the  dust, 
she  had  fallen  on  her  knees  before  the  high- 
priest  of  Moloch,  to  implore  his  mercy.  Yain ! 
vain !  That  hoary-headed  libertine  knew  that 
he  should  be  the  first  to  possess  the  poor  victim; 
and  Talmai  was  so  beautiful ! 

At  last  both  parents  saw  that  all  earthly  hope 
was  gone,  and  in  despair  they  even  turned  their 
eyes  heavenward :  they  implored  the  help  of 
the  God  of  their  fathers,  they  vowed  to  return 
from  their  evil  ways. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  191 

But  how  could  they  expect  that  offended  Je 
hovah  would  listen  to  their  prayers? 

And  now  they  beheld  the  beginning  of  the 
end.  They  had  seen  their  beloved  daughter 
forced  out  of  their  midst  by  rude  hands,  they 
had  seen  her  led,  or  rather  dragged,  to  the  temple, 
they  had  seen  her  thrust  into  the  carriage  with 
her  unfortunate  companions,  and  now  they  saw 
her  borne  on  to  her  final  doom. 

But  to  return  to  the  procession.  With  mea 
sured  steps  the  priests  of  Moloch,  bearing  the 
image  of  the  idol  in  their  midst,  and  their  fol 
lowers,  strode  up  the  principal  street  of  New 
Samaria,  on  to  the  first  altar,  that  had  been 
erected  in  front  of  the  royal  palace. 

Here  the  image  was  set  down,  and  the  priests 
formed  a  semicircle.  Then  the  twenty-five  half- 
naked  girls  mentioned  above,  and  who  bore  the 
then  proud  title  of  "Daughters  of  Moloch," 
stepped  forward,  and,  while  the  music  struck  up 
a  half-wild,  half-solemn  strain,  they  began  to 
dance  around  the  idol.  At  first  their  steps  were 
slow  and  measured ;  but  the  music  grew  wilder, 
and  the  movements  of  the  girls  became  quicker, 
while  their  bodies  were  contorted  in  the  most 


192  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

vulgar  and  indelicate  manner.  But  wilder  and 
wilder  the  music  sounded,  quicker  and  quicker 
grew  the  vulgar  dance,  until  at  last  this  and  the 
contortions  of  the  bodies  were  frightful  to  behold. 
After  a  while  the  maidens  could  hold  out  no 
longer,  and  one  after  another  they  fell  down  in 
utter  exhaustion. 

Then  the  carriage  was  drawn  forward,  the 
doors  were  thrown  open,  and  the  six  virgins 
were  forced  to  alight.  They  were  led  to  the 
image  and  there  compelled  to  throw  themselves 
flat  on  their  faces.  While  they  were  in  that 
posture,  a  young  man,  who  had  acted  as  coach 
man,  and  who,  with  the  exception  of  a  flame- 
colored  sash  tied  around  his  loins,  was  entirely 
naked,  sprang  from  his  seat  and  came  forward. 

"  Mighty  god  of  this  great  and  glorious  na 
tion,"  he  said,  "  in  these  maidens,  who  now  lie 
prostrate  at  thy  feet,  thou  beholdest  those  who 
have  been  deemed  worthy  to  be  sacrificed  on 
thy  altar. 

"  Before  long  the  lot  will  have  decided  which 
of  them  will  be  chosen  by  the  great  Moloch  for 
his  own. 

"  Guide  the  hands  of  thy  holy  priests  when 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  193 

the  lots  are  drawn,  that  she  who  is  the  purest 
and  best  may  indeed  be  selected." 

All  the  girls  now  arose.  The  six  virgins  were 
made  to  kneel  around  the  image,  and  then  the 
twelve  youths,  led  on  by  him  who  had  acted 
as  spokesman,  came  forward.  The  band  again 
began  to  play ;  but  the  strain  had  lost  its  half- 
solemnity,  and  now  it  burst  forth  in  unbounded 
wildness.  The  "  Daughters  of  Moloch,"  who  by 
this  time  had  entirely  recovered  from  their  ex 
haustion,  joined  the  young  men;  and  now  began 
one  of  those  wanton  and  bacchanalian  dances 
which  fortunately  Christianity  and  civilization 
have  banished  forever,  unless,  indeed,  they  should 
yet  exist  in  some  of  the  lowest  dens  of  iniquity 
of  our  own  days. 

Soon  the  excitement  of  the  dancers  infected 
the  rest  of  the  multitude :  first  the  young  men 
and  women,  and  finally  even  the  old  and  feeble, 
rushed  forth  to  join  in  the  shameless  orgies. 

The  king  and  his  queen  had  hitherto  pre 
served  their  dignity :  the  anxiety  for  their  be 
loved  child  which  gnawed  on  their  hearts  had 
made  them  insensible  to  all  that  surrounded 

them ;  and,  following  their  example,  their  com- 

N  ir 


194  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

panions  had  also  remained  quiet.  But  now  the 
general  excitement  exerted  its  influence  even 
here,  and,  forgetting  all  else,  Nahum,  Hermione, 
Harim,  Tamar,  and  their  followers,  joined  in  the 
wild  dance. 

A  piercing  shriek  went  up  from  under  the 
veil  that  hid  the  pale  but  lovely  features  of 
Talmai — who,  like  her  unfortunate  companions, 
was  forced  to  look  upon  that  disgusting  spec 
tacle — when  she  saw  her  father  and  mother,  old 
and  feeble  though  they  had  grown,  rush  forth 
in  mad  excitement. 

The  king's  daughter  and  her  five  virgin  friends 
had  been  among  the  pupils  of  good  old  Ezra, 
and  his  teachings  had  produced  the  desired  re 
sult  in  the  pure  hearts  of  the  six  children. 
Gladly  would  that  faithful  priest  have  taken  his 
darlings  out  of  a  city  whose  inhabitants,  he  saw, 
would  sink  deeper  and  deeper  until  some  fearful 
and  final  doom  should  terminate  their  existence. 
But  they  were  too  young  then  to  be  taken 
away  without  the  consent  of  their  parents;  and 
that,  of  course,  was  not  to  be  obtained. 

Yet  the  hearts  of  the  girls  were  stronger,  and 
his  teachings  had  taken  deeper  root,  than  Ezra 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  195 

had  hoped;  and,  despite  all  the  licentiousness  of 
their  friends  and  neighbors,  they  had  preserved 
their  purity. 

And  this  had  not  been  all  the  consequences 
of  the  good  old  man's  admonitions.  There 
were  in  New  Samaria  two  young  men  who  also 
had  been  among  the  disciples  of  Ezra,  and  who 
also  had  been  steadfast  enough  to  preserve  their 
hearts  pure. 

Omar,  son  of  Nahum,  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
one  years,  was  an  exact  counterpart  of  what  his 
father  had  been  when  I  first  introduced  him  to 
my  readers.  The  strength  of  his  frame  was,  of 
course,  not  so  well  developed  as  that  of  his  sire 
at  the  time  I  speak  of;  yet  the  cut  of  the  features 
was  the  same,  while  his  appearance  in  general 
justified  the  belief  that  with  the  coming  years 
the  son  would  grow  even  stronger  than  the 
father. 

Omar's  friend  and  companion,  Gad,  was  the 
son  of  Korah,  one  of  the  higher  officers  of  the 
king's  household.  He  was  now  twenty-five 
years  old;  and  he  too,  like  the  majority  of  his 
countrymen  at  that  time,  was  a  young  man  of 


196  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

a  stately  form  and  with  regular  and  well-cut 
features. 

These  two  young  men  did  not  share  in  the 
idolatry  and  licentiousness  of  their  neighbors. 
They  had  not  joined  the  vulgar  procession  of  the 
day,  but  had  met  at  the  house  of  old  Isaac,  a 
firm  friend  and  adherent  of  Ezra,  but  whose  age 
and  infirmities  had  not  allowed  him  to  accom 
pany  that  good  man  on  his  emigration;  and,  as 
for  the  present  the  priests  of  Moloch  did  not 
covet  the  possession  of  the  two  friends,  they  had 
been  allowed  to  do  as  they  liked. 

Meanwhile  the  vulgar  dance  around  the  image 
in  front  of  the  king's  palace  had  reached  its 
climax,  and  the  dancers  began  to  sink  down,  one 
after  another,  in  sheer  exhaustion. 

The  six  virgins,  although  compelled  to  look 
upon  that  most  disgusting  spectacle,  had  thus 
far  been  permitted  to  retain  their  thick  veils; 
and  this  they  regarded  as  a  great  blessing,  for 
thus  the  blushes  that  suffused  their  faces  at 
sight  of  the  indecent  contortions  and  exposures 
were  hidden  from  the  libertine  gaze  of  the  gaping 
crowd. 

But  now  the  priests  rushed  forward,  half  mad 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  197 

with  passion.  Like  so  many  demons,  they  stood 
around  the  trembling  maidens,  and  with  rude 
hands  tore  off  the  protecting  veils,  to  glut 
their  blood-shot  eyes  in  the  charms  of  their 
victims. 

The  extreme  and  commanding  beauty  of  Tal- 
mai,  who  had  just  finished  her  sixteenth  year, 
and  whose  graceful,  well-rounded,  and  faultless 
form  towered  high  over  her  companions,  kindled 
a  fire  in  the  breast  of  that  hoary-headed  high- 
priest,  whose  hair  and  beard  had  been  whitened 
by  more  than  fifty  winters,  of  such  intensity 
that  he  mentally  swore  to  possess  the  king's 
daughter,  cost  what  it  might;  and  from  that 
moment  the  doom  of  the  poor  girl  was  sealed. 

But  this  was  not  all.  The  sight  of  so  many 
handsome  faces,  their  beauty  heightened  by  the 
blushes  that  overspread  them  on  so  suddenly 
and  unexpectedly  becoming  exposed  to  the  gaze 
of  men,  had  completely  maddened  the  licentious 
priests;  and  it  was  forthwith  resolved  that  one 
victim  would  not  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  the 
cravings  of  their  passion,  and  that  at  least  two 
of  them  should  be  demanded. 

Adah,  the  daughter  of  Aaron,  another  high 

17* 


198  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

officer  in  the  king's  household,  was  in  her  eigh 
teenth  year.  She  had  been  brought  up  with 
Talmai,  and  the  similarity  of  their  characters 
and  inclinations  had  made  the  two  girls  fast 
friends. 

Adah  was  not  so  tall  as  her  friend,  nor  was 
her  beauty  so  intense  and  commanding:  still, 
she  was  very  handsome,  and  the  faultless  cut 
of  her  features  was  of  that  style  that  appeals 
directly  to  the  senses. 

After  Talmai,  she  was  the  handsomest  of  the 
six  virgins;  and  therefore,  when  the  priests  re 
solved  to  demand  two  victims  instead  of  one, 
her  doom  also  was  sealed. 

And  now  the  veils  of  the  virgins  were  re 
adjusted,  for  the  multitude,  who  in  their  excite 
ment  had  danced  and  jumped  until  their  senses 
reeled,  and  who  therefore  had  seen  nothing  of 
the  doings  of  the  priests,  began  to  recover  from 
their  exhaustion. 

When  all  had  been  restored  to  consciousness, 
the  priests  came  forward,  and,  in  solemn  mock 
ery,  threw  themselves  down  before  the  altar  in 
pretended  prayer.  After  a  little  while  they 
arose,  and,  ascending  a  platform  that  had  been 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  199 

erected  on  one  side  of  the  altar,  the  high-priest 
said, — 

"Sons  and  daughters  of  Moloch,  we  have 
once  more  met  to  perform  that  great,  that 
solemn  duty  which  we  owe  to  our  mighty 
god! 

"  My  heart  bleeds,  and  these  tears,  that  I  am 
not  ashamed  to  shed,  are  witnesses  to  the  sin 
cerity  of  my  grief;  but  duty  compels  me  to 
stifle  the  emotions  of  my  heart.  These  virgins, 
who  have  been  found  worthy  to  become  a 
sacrifice  to  the  great  Moloch,  are  themselves  the 
cause  of  their  present  affliction  :  they  have  lived 
so  that  they  have  become  unworthy  to  live 
among  us,  and  therefore  our  merciful  god  has 
chosen  them  for  his  own,  as  he  in  his  greatness 
would  disdain  to  possess  what  man  had  enjoyed 
before  him. 

"  But,  whatever  else  may  have  been  the  con 
duct  of  these  maidens,  they  are  daughters,  and 
have  never  been  remiss  in  their  filial  duties ;  and 
it  is  in  behalf  of  their  afflicted  parents  that  my 
heart  bleeds,  that  these  tears  are  shed. 

"0  my  brethren  and  sisters,  my  sons  and 
daughters,  it  is  hard  to  be  the  performer  of  so 


200  THE   LOST  TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

great  a  sacrifice;  but  my  office  demands  it,  and 
the  good  Moloch  will  strengthen  my  feeble  arm, 
blind  my  tearful  eyes,  and  steel  my  bleeding 
heart  in  the  execution  of  my  work. 

"As  I  did  five  years  ago,  so  shall  I  to-day, 
spare  you  the  sight  of  the  bloody  spectacle ;  and 
when  you  hear  the  solemn  tolling  of  the  bell  on 
yonder  temple,  know  that  the  sacrifice  will  have 
been  performed." 

Here  the  speaker  ceased,  to  observe  the  effect 
his  words  had  produced  on  his  hearers. 

He  knew  that  he  must  proceed  with  the 
utmost  caution;  for,  although  the  inhabitants 
of  New  Samaria  had  completely  turned  from 
the  God  of  their  forefathers  and  adopted  the 
statutes  of  the  heathens,  they  had  stood  aghast 
when,  five  years  before,  just  after  the  departure 
of  Ezra  and  his  followers,  the  priests  of  Moloch 
had  proposed  the  cold-blooded  murder  of  a 
grown  maiden  as  a  sacrifice  to  the  idol,  and  all 
their  arts  and  persuasions  had  hardly  enabled 
them  to  obtain  the  consent  of  the  people. 

Fortunately  for  them,  their  first  victim  had 
been  a  poor,  unprotected  creature  without  parents 
or  friends ;  but  the  plan  they  had  formed,  in  their 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE  RED   MEN.  201 

unholy  passion,  to  have  the  thing  repeated  every 
year,  they  dared  not  bring  into  execution;  and 
therefore,  after  the  minds  of  the  populace  were 
thoroughly  sounded,  it  had  been  determined 
that  the  great  sacrifice  should  be  performed 
every  five  years. 

The  wily  priests  were  well  aware  that  they 
must  not  proceed  too  hastily  to  gain  their  end, 
but  bide  their  time;  and,  while  they  congratu 
lated  themselves  on  having  obtained  the  con 
sent  of  the  people  to  the  first  step  in  the  de 
sired  direction,  they  had  no  doubt  that  in  time 
they  should  be  able  to  lead  them  at  will.  To 
have  an  object  wherewith  to  satisfy  their  beastly 
desires  during  the  intervening  space  of  five 
years,  they  had  put  their  first  victim  into  a 
lofty,  well-aired,  under-ground  apartment,  con 
structed  by  themselves  for  that  purpose,  and, 
while  they  had  partaken  but  sparingly  of  the 
fruit  in  their  possession,  they  had  done  all  in 
their  power  to  preserve  the  charms  of  the  poor 
girl.  But  now  she  was  to  be  cast  aside;  and 
already  on  the  day  preceding  the  procession 
had  she  been  thrust  into  a  dark  and  gloomy 
hole,  also  constructed  by  the  priests  for  that 


202  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

purpose,  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth;  and  there 
they  had  left  her  without  food  or  drink. 

But,  at  the  same  time,  the  villains  had  not 
been  idle  in  other  directions.  They  had  worked 
hard  to  fortify  and  strengthen  their  power,  and 
now  the  minds  of  their  followers  were  pretty 
well  prepared  to  listen  to  any  atrocity  that  might 
be  proposed  and  advocated  by  them. 

Yet  the  proposition  they  were  to  make  on 
that  day  was  a  startling  one  even  to  themselves. 
To  obtain  possession  of  Talmai,  the  king's  daugh 
ter,  they  thought  they  could  manage  well  enough. 
On  that  score  they  had  no  fears.  But  how  to 
gain  the  consent  of  the  people  to  that  propo 
sition — to  have  two  victims  instead  of  one — was 
another  question;  and  even  the  hardened  and 
rascally  priests  trembled  when  they  thought 
of  the  possible  consequences. 

Yet  their  hearts  were  set  on  gaining  their 
object,  and  they  had  resolved  to  try  it,  at  all 
events,  come  what  might.  And,  therefore,  when 
he  had  been  silent  long  enough  to  observe  the 
effects  of  his  words,  and  when  he  had  seen  that 
the  eyes  of  his  hearers  were  directed  to  him, 
and  that  the  latter  regarded  him  with  respect 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  203 

and  veneration  for  the  tender  feelings  of  his 
heart,  so  cleverly  depicted  in  his  hypocritical 
words,  the  high-priest  continued : — 

"But,  my  dearly-beloved  friends,  Moloch  is 
dissatisfied !  The  smell  of  our  last  sacrifice  has 
long  since  evaporated;  the  nostrils  of  our  "god 
have  become  parched,  and  they  have  expanded 
like  unto  the  boundaries  of  our  city!  When, 
last  night,  I  lay  on  my  hard  pillow,  thinking  of 
my  duties  and  of  the  prosperity  of  our  people, 
the  mighty  prince  of  unbounded  regions  appeared 
unto  me  in  his  wrath !  Fire  and  brimstone  came 
out  of  his  mouth  that  was  terrible  to  behold, 
and,  in  tones  of  thunder,  he  threatened  to  sweep 
us  and  our  city  from  the  face  of  the  earth  if  his 
wrath  were  not  appeased. 

,  "  Then  I  took  courage, — even  I,  humble  and 
unworthy  though  I  felt  in  that  presence, — and  I 
expostulated.  But  he  soon  silenced  me. 

"' Sacrifice!'  he  thundered  forth.  ' Call  ye  a 
feeble  maiden  burnt  on  my  altar  at  intervals 
of  five  years  a  sacrifice  to  such  as  I?  The  smell 
of  a  hundred  burning  cities  like  yours  would 
hardly  fill  the  tenth  part  of  one  of  my  nostrils ; 
and  yet  I  forbear!  But  if  to-morrow's  sun  does 


204  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

not  see  my  wrath  appeased,  tremble ;  for  no  longer 
will  I  spare  you!' 

"He  then  was  silent,  and  I  was  enabled  to 
speak  to  him.  I  spoke  of  our  late  errors,  and 
how  we  had  only  recently  become  converted, — 
of  our  growing  attachment  to  the  true  faith, 
and  our  willingness  to  serve  him;  and  at  last  I 
succeeded  in  calming  him  to  such  an  extent 
that  he  promised  not  to  withdraw  from  us  his 
protection,  if  on  this  occasion  we  would  sacri 
fice  two  virgins  instead  of  one,  and  repeat  the 
sacrifice  every  twelvemonth.  Then  he  disap 
peared. 

"And  now,  my  beloved  brethren  and  sisters, 
my  sons  and  daughters,"  concluded  the  speaker, 
"  I  have  told  you  what  is  expected  of  us,  and  what 
we  may  expect  in  return ;  and  if  you  ask  my  ad 
vice,  it  is,  We  must,  we  will,  comply  with  the 
request  of  the  great  Moloch." 

The  sermon  was  ended,  and  the  high-priest 
looked  around  upon  his  hearers.  But  they  were 
silent;  horror  had  bound  their  tongues.  The 
words  of  the  preacher  had  been  so  powerful,  the 
horror  depicted  in  his  face  had  been  so  well 
feigned,  that  not  one  in  that  vast  assembly,  with 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  205 

the  exception  of  the  six  virgins,  who  had  not 
once  looked  up  to  the  speaker,  doubted  the  sin 
cerity  of  his  assertions. 

The  poor  victims  had  heard  and  understood 
every  word  uttered  by  that  hoary  hypocrite,  and 
their  souls  had  been  filled  with  grief  and  despair; 
for  not  only  had  their  chances  of  escaping  the 
fearful  doom  become  much  smaller,  but  they 
were  certain  now  to  be  sacrificed  at  last. 

Only  the  priests  rejoiced.  They  had  gained 
the  victory;  for  they  saw  by  the  looks  of  the 
people  that  no  objection  would  be  made  on  that 
side,  and  it  required  all  the  efforts  of  their  hard 
ened  nature  to  preserve  their  wonted  dignity  and 
decorum. 

It  took  some  time  before  the  multitude  reco 
vered  from  the  effect  produced  by  the  speech  of 
the  high-priest;  and  when,  at  length,  all  had 
become  tranquil,  that  old  villain  again  alluded 
to  the  subject,  and  said,  "If  no  objection  is  raised 
among  you,  I  shall  consider  it  my  duty  to  make 
the  sacrifice  a  double  one;  but  if,  on  the  other 
hand,  any  one  in  your  midst  be  dissatisfied  with 
that,  let  him  come  forward;  and  then  let  me  tell 
you  that  I  have  done  all  in  my  power  to  make 

18 


206  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

you  follow  the  right  course;  and  if,  after  all,  iny 
advice  should  not  be  heeded,  then  beware  how 
you  provoke  the  anger  of  our  god,  and  on  your 
own  heads  be  the  consequences." 

But  no  objection  was  raised;  and  so  the  affair 
was  settled  to  the  intensest  satisfaction  of  the 
priests. 

The  procession  now  again  formed,  the  six  vir 
gins  were  put  back  into  the  carriage,  and,  in  the 
order  in  which  they  had  come,  the  multitude  re 
sumed  their  march  to  the  next  altar.  Here 
they  went  through  the  same  ceremonies  that  had 
been  performed  at  the  first  stopping-place,  the 
sermon  only  being  dispensed  with ;  and  so  the 
procession  moved  through  the  entire  city,  stop 
ping  at  twelve  different  places,  where  similar 
altars  had  been  erected,  and  before  each  of  which 
the  same  vulgar  and  bacchanalian  orgies  were 
repeated. 

At  last,  two  hours  after  noon,  the  procession 
returned  to  the  temple,  where  the  people  were 
dismissed  to  rest  and  refresh  themselves,  and  to 
reassemble  at  the  fourth  hour,  when  the  lots 
were  to  be  drawn,  and  when  the  victims  were  to 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  207 

take  their  last  farewell  of  parents,  friends,  and 
the  world  in  general. 

The  wagon  was  drawn  into  the  temple,  where 
it  was  to  be  left  and  watched  over  by  the  priests, 
while  the  virgins  were  to  remain  as  guests  of 
Moloch,  until  that  great  and  divine  personage 
should  have  indicated,  through  the  lot  in  the 
hands  of  his  priests,  which  of  the  maidens  were 
worthy  to  be  sacrificed. 

Nahum  and  Hermione  had  to  be  carried  home ; 
for  the  exertions  of  the  day  and  their  anguish  in 
behalf  of  their  best-beloved  child,  whom,  they 
now  felt,  no  earthly  power  could  save,  had  been 
too  much  for  them,  and  in  a  state  of  utter  pros 
tration  they  arrived  at  the  royal  palace. 

Our  two  friends  Omar  and  Gad  had  meantime 
not  left  the  dwelling  of  old  Isaac,  and  all  three 
were  engaged  in  an  earnest  conversation,  when 
the  door  was  unceremoniously  opened,  and  in 
strode  a  young  man  of  about  twenty-six  years, 
whom  they  instantly  recognized  as  Abner,  old 
Isaac's  son,  and  in  whom  we  too  find  a  recent 
acquaintance, — to  wit,  the  young  man  in  the 
flame-colored,  sash,  who  had  acted  as  coachman 
in  the  great  procession. 


208  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

But  now  he  was  not  naked :  he  wore  the  cos 
tume  of  the  young  men  of  his  class,  then  in 
fashion,  which  he  had  also  worn  when  he  went 
to  the  temple  that  morning. 

Abner  had  not  a  bad  heart ;  but  he  was  natu 
rally  wild  and  reckless.  A  proper  and  judicious 
education  would,  in  all  probability,  have  made  a 
good  and  true  man  of  him;  but,  unfortunately, 
he  had  been  the  only  son  of  his  father,  and  his 
mother  had  died  when  he  had  scarcely  been 
born. 

Old  Isaac  had  loved  his  wife  with  a  sincerity 
rarely  equalled  even  in  our  days  of  Chris 
tianity,  and,  when  the  cherished  partner  of  his 
life  had  died,  he  had  transferred  all  his  love  to 
her  first-born. 

And  so  Abner  had  been  spoiled  by  indul 
gence.  At  first  he  had  joined  his  fellow-citizens 
in  their  heathenish  ceremonies  out  of  idle  curi 
osity;  but,  little  by  little,  he  had  become 
pleased  with  the  wild  and  licentious  life,  and 
now  he  was  a  firm  adherent  of  Moloch  and 
the  teachings  of  that  idol's  priests.  Yet  he 
loved  his  father  with  a  sincerity  that  amounted 
to  veneration,  and  on  no  account  would  he  have 


THE   FIRST   OF  THE  RED    MEN.  209 

done  an  act  that  he  knew  would  seriously  dis 
please  the  old  man. 

Had  Isaac  been  firm  and  seriously  remon 
strated  with  his  son,  he  could  easily  have  led 
him  back  to  the  true  faith ;  but  the  father  was 
too  weak,  and  therefore  the  son  sank  deeper  and 
deeper. 

When  the  young  man  had  affectionately  em 
braced  his  father,  and  cordially  greeted  Omar 
and  Gad,  both  of  whom  he  well  knew  and  much 
respected,  he  sat  down  and  related  what  he  had 
seen  at  the  procession. 

The  cheeks  of  the  two  friends  flushed  when 
they  heard  that  even  their  old  parents  had 
taken  part  in  the  shameless  dance,  but  they 
were  silent ;  and  Abner,  who  had  not  perceived 
the  change  in  their  countenance,  went  on. 

"Although,"  he  said,  "the  lots  are  not  drawn 
yet,  I  can  pretty  well  guess  which  of  the  six  vir 
gins  are  to  be  sacrificed ;  for,  as  I  must  inform 
you,  we  are  this  time  to  have  two  victims  instead 
of  one,  as  the  great  Moloch  appeared  to  his  high- 
priest  last  night  and  threatened  to  sweep  us  and 
our  lovely  city  from  the  face  of  the  earth  if  at 

least  two  maidens  were  not  burned  on  his  altar. 

o  is* 


210  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

The  priests  suppose  that  nobody  knows  who 
really  will  be  sacrificed,  and  they  even  pretend 
to  know  nothing  themselves;  but  I  have  had 
my  ears  and  eyes  open,  when  they  believed  me 
absent  or  asleep,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  they 
will  manage  the  drawing  of  the  lots  as  it  pleases 
themselves.  I  pity  the  poor  girls,  but  then  the 
priests  say  it  must  be  done ;  and  so  I  think  it 
can't  be  helped." 

Our  friends  shuddered  when  they  heard  what 
the  young  man  said,  yet  they  did  not  feel  sur 
prised  ;  for  too  well  they  knew  that  the  priests 
of  Moloch  had  it  all  their  own  way  in  New 
Samaria, — which  name,  by  the  way,  had  now 
been  changed  to  New  Babylon, — and  that  no 
power  in  the  city  was  strong  enough  to  oppose 
their  wishes. 

Omar  and  Gad  had  also  all  along  thought 
that  the  villanous  priests  must  have  had  some 
hidden  object  of  their  own  in  proposing  the 
sacrifice,  and  they  had  long  wondered  why  the 
latter  had  not  demanded  more  victims  from  the 
first.  But  that  the  drawing  of  the  lots  was 
managed  as  the  priests  pleased,  the  two  young 
men  had  never  doubted. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE  RED   MEN.  211 

And  now  they  wished  to  know  which  of  the 
virgins  would  be  the  victims,  and  so  they  asked 
their  informant  if  he  would  tell  them;  when 
that  young  man,  with  his  usual  frankness,  said, — 

"  Mark  me :  if  Talmai,  the  king's  daughter, 
and  Adah,  the  daughter  of  old  Aaron,  are  not 
chosen  for  the  sacrifice,  then  set  me  down  as  a 
fool." 

At  the  mention  of  these  two  names  a  deathly 
pallor  overspread  the  faces  of  the  two  friends, 
and  they  would  have  fallen  to  the  floor  had  not 
the  stout  arms  of  Abner  caught  them  and  led 
them  to  a  seat. 

Omar  had  long  been  the  secretly  affianced 
lover  of  Talmai,  while  Gad  had  plighted  his 
troth  to  Adah. 

When  the  young  men  recovered  from  the 
blow,  they  wildly  jumped  up  and  cried,  "  No, 
no !  that  must  not  be  !  They  are  ours,  and  they 
must  be  rescued  at  all  hazards.  You,  friend 
Isaac,  and  you,  good  Abner,  must  help  us !  By 
our  friendship,  by  all  that  you  hold  sacred,  we 
adjure  you !  Stand  by  us !" 

But  Abner  sadly  shook  his  head. 

"  It  would  avail  you  nothing,"  he  said.    "  The 


212  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

fate  of  the  two  poor  girls  is  sealed,  and  you 
cannot  alter  it. 

"  In  stratagem  and  cunning  we  are  no  match 
for  the  priests,  and  to  attempt  force  would  only 
subject  you  to  ridicule, — if,  indeed,  the  enraged 
people,  who  regard  their  priests  as  demigods, 
should  not  tear  you  to  pieces. 

"  No !  I  love  and  respect  you,  although  you 
are  not  believers;  but  this  thing  cannot  be 
altered." 

And  thereupon  he  strode  out  of  the  house  back 
to  the  temple,  even  leaving  the  refreshments  his 
father  had  prepared  for  him  untouched ;  for  he 
could  not  bear  the  despairing  looks  of  the 
friends. 

When  he  had  gone,  the  two  young  men  turned 
to  old  Isaac ;  and  so  desponding  were  their  looks, 
so  prayerful  the  tones  in  which  they  besought 
the  old  man  to  lend  them  his  co-operation,  that 
he  could  not  resist;  and,  after  considering  for 
some  time,  the  father  of  Abner  told  them  that 
he  had  formed  a  plan  by  which  they  might  pos 
sibly  gain  their  object.  "  But,"  he  added,  "  it  is 
a  bold  game  you  will  have  to  play,  and  the  con 
sequences  may  be  terrible  for  yourselves  if  the 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  213 

plan  fail :  yet  it  is  the  only  thing  that  can  be 
done, — the  only  thing  that  promises  the  shadow 
of  success." 

Of  course  the  friends  were  willing  to  do  any 
thing.  What  was  life  to  them,  if  the  two  maid 
ens  were  taken  away  from  them  forever  ? 

And  so  they  told  old  Isaac,  and  then  the 
latter  disclosed  his  plan.  But  what  that  was, 
how  it  was  executed,  and  whether  it  had  the 
desired  result,  the  sequel  must  show. 

In  the  mean  time  the  fourth  hour  had  come, 
and  the  inhabitants,  the  king  and  the  queen 
and  their  friends  and  followers  included,  had 
reassembled  in  the  temple,  all  curious  to  know 
how  the  drawing  of  the  lots  would  terminate,  all 
eager  to  witness  the  end  of  the  ceremonies. 

And  now,  one  after  the  other,  the  twenty 
priests  strode  in  and  went  to  the  altar,  while  at 
the  same  time  the  six  virgins  were  led  forward 
and  made  to  kneel  around  it.  Six  strips  of 
parchment,  each  with  the  name  of  one  of  the 
virgins  written  upon  it,  were  put  into  a  vase, 
while  six  beans,  of  which  four  were  white  and 
two  black,  were  put  into  another. 

Simultaneously  with  one  of  the  pieces  of  parch- 


214  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

ment  a  bean  was  to  be  drawn,  and  the  virgin 
whose  name  appeared  upon  the  strip  was  to  be 
free  if  the  bean  were  white,  but  to  be  declared 
worthy  for  the  sacrifice  if  the  color  of  the  bean 
were  black. 

The  two  youngest  of  the  priests  were  blind 
folded,  and  then,  after  the  two  vessels  had  been 
well  shaken  by  the  high-priest,  the  dreadful  lot 
tery  commenced  under  the  supervision  of  the 
Ias1>named  functionary. 

Every  breath  was  hushed  in  that  vast  assem 
bly,  while  all  eyes  were  turned  upon  the  face  of 
the  high-priest  in  silent  expectation. 

And  now  the  arms  of  the  blindfolded  drawers 
were  raised:  in  one  hand  appeared  a  strip  of 
parchment,  while  the  other  exhibited  a  bean  of 
dazzling  whiteness. 

With  a  slow  movement  the  high-priest  stretched 
out  his  arm  to  take  the  parchment,  and,  after 
deliberately  unrolling  it,  he  read,  in  a  monotonous 
tone  of  voice,  the  name  of  Rebekah. 

A  shout  went  up  from  the  assembled  multi 
tude  ;  for  Rebekah  was  free,  and  the  people  re 
joiced,  forgetting  for  the  moment  that  among  the 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  215 

remaining  five  there  were  two  whose  doom  was 
irrevocably  sealed. 

She  who  bore  that  name  which  had  just  been 
uttered  by  more  than  a  thousand  tongues,  had 
fallen  down  and  fainted;  the  emotions  of  her 
heart  had  been  too  much  for  her,  and,  while  the 
people  rejoiced  at  her  good  fortune,  she  lay  in 
utter  oblivion. 

But  at  a  nod  of  the  high-priest,  four  stout 
young  men  came  forward :  the  form  of  the  in 
sensible  maiden  was  raised  and  borne  out  of  the 
temple,  while  the  arms  of  the  two  blinded  priests 
again  descended. 

Again  a  piece  of  parchment  and  a  white  bean 
were  drawn,  and  this  time  the  high-priest,  in 
his  monotonous  voice,  pronounced  the  name  of 
Dinah,  another  of  the  six  virgins. 

Again  the  people  rejoiced,  again  the  liberated 
maiden  fell  down  and  fainted,  and  she  too  was 
taken  up  and  carried  out  of  the  temple. 

Then  the  drawing  of  the  lots  was  resumed  for 
the  third  time,  and  resulted  as  the  two  preceding 
ones,  the  name  that  was  now  pronounced  by  the 
high-priest  being  that  of  Keturah,  who,  when 
she  heard  that  she  was  free,  also  fainted  from 


216  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

the  excess  of  her  emotions,  and  was  also  carried 
away. 

Now  there  remained  only  one  white  bean, 
only  one  single  chance  for  the  three  remaining 
victims !  Nahum,  Hermione,  and  Aaron  had 
become  fearfully  excited :  their  children  stood 
on  the  brink  of  a  terrible  abyss,  and  no  earthly 
power  seemed  able  to  prevent  their  falling  down. 
The  three  maidens  sat  motionless,  erect  as  so 
many  statues  cut  out  of  stone,  not  a  sign,  not 
a  breath,  indicating  that  there  was  yet  life  in 
their  motionless  forms. 

And  now  the  blindfolded  priests  once  more 
put  their  hands  into  the  vases :  slowly  and  de- 
liber ately  the  two  arms  went  up,  and  the  last 
white  bean  glittered  in  the  air.  Solemnly  the 
high-priest  lifted  his  arm  to  take  the  parchment, 
slowly  was  it  unrolled,  and  in  deep  tones  the 
name  of  Zilpah  sounded  from  the  lips  of  the  old 
villain. 

The  liberated  virgin  lay  fainting  at  the  foot 
of  the  altar;  but  no  rejoicing  shout  went  up 
from  the  multitude,  and  all  eyes  were  directed  to 
the  spot  where  the  king,  the  queen,  and  Aaron, 
the  king's  officer,  lay  on  the  floor  broken  down 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEtf.  217 

and  senseless.  The  blow  had  fallen  on  them 
like  a  thunderbolt,  and  like  the  lightning's  flash 
had  prostrated  them  where  they  stood. 

Talmai  and  Adah  had  not  fallen  down :  the 
blow  had  been  too  hard,  and  it  had  taken  away 
their  reason.  Jehovah  had  taken  compassion 
on  the  suffering  innocents,  and  in  his  mercy  had 
spared  them  the  consciousness  of  their  terrible 
and  hopeless  situation.  For  the  moment  all  was 
confusion  in  the  temple,  and  the  people  began  to 
think  that  the  end  of  the  ceremonies  would  be 
postponed.  But  in  this  they  were  mistaken. 
The  priests  were  too  eager  to  clutch  their  prey, 
which  they  felt  sure  they  could  easily  restore  to 
.reason  and  consciousness. 

In  a  little  while  Nahum,  Hermione,  and  Aaron 
were  lifted  up  and  restored  to  life,  whereupon 
they  were  put  on  chairs  that  had  been  brought 
forward  for  the  purpose.  Then  the  two  stoutest 
priests  came  forward  to  the  still  kneeling  vic 
tims  and  raised  them  on  their  feet.  The  poor 
girls  had  been  bereft  of  reason,  as  we  have  seen 
above,  and  therefore  they  offered  no  objection  to 
the  doings  of  the  villains.  They  did  not  even 
shudder  at  the  indelicate  touches ;  but,  like 

19 


218  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

machines,  they  allowed  their  movements  to  be 
directed  at  the  will  of  their  taskmasters. 

And  now  they  were  to  be  unveiled,  they  were 
to  be  divested  of  their  clothing ;  for  in  a  state 
of  entire  nudity  they  were  to  take  their  final 
farewell  of  their  parents,  friends,  and  the  assem 
bled  multitude. 

Already  the  hands  of  the  priests  were  stretched 
out  to  tear  down  the  veils  which  hid  the  fea 
tures  of  the  two  virgins;  but  the  next  moment 
the  two  villains  recoiled  and  fell  down  on  the 
floor. 

A  flash  of  lightning,  so  intensely  vivid  that 
for  the  moment  the  temple  was  illuminated  to 
its  farthest  corners,  as  if  the  noonday  sun  had 
descended  from  his  sphere  and  come  into  the 
building,  had  suddenly  shot  right  into  the  faces 
of  the  two  rascals,  and,  besides  prostrating  them 
at  the  feet  of  their  companions,  it  at  the  same 
time  revived  the  reason  of  the  two  maidens, 
who  now  stood  quite  conscious  again,  but  silent 
and  awe-stricken,  like  the  rest  of  the  assembled 
multitude.  Immediately  after  the  flash  of  light 
ning  there  came  a  crash  of  thunder,  as  if  ten 
thousand  cannon  had  been  fired  in  one  simulta- 


THE  FIRST  OF   THE   RED  MEN.  219 

neous  discharge,  and  now  the  heavens  grew  black 
as  Erebus.  Flash  followed  on  flash,  while  the 
thunder  crashed  in  one  continuous  roar.  Then 
came  a  flash  more  vivid  than  all  the  rest,  followed 
by  a  peal  of  thunder  that  made  the  very  earth 
tremble,  and  shook  the  temple  to  its  foundation; 
and  a  moment  later  a  bright  flame  shot  up  in 
front  of  the  edifice  and  illumined  the  interior. 
The  lightning  had  struck  one  of  the  ancient 
trees  that  stood  near  the  door,  and  set  it  on  fire. 
At  the  same  time  the  portals  of  the  temple  were 
thrown  open,  and  in  came  two  persons,  dressed 
in  snow-white  garments.  The  first  of  these 
persons — an  old  man  with  bald  head  and  long, 
flowing  beard,  whose  features  closely  resembled 
the  features  of  old  Mordecai — strode  boldly  for 
ward,  followed  by  his  companion,  whose  fair 
face  and  light,  airy  form  gave  him  the  appear 
ance  of  an  angel  of  the  Lord. 

The  two  seemingly  supernatural  beings  went 
straight  to  the  altar  of  Moloch,  while  the  terri 
fied  priests  timidly  drew  on  one  side,  and  then 
the  visitors  raised  the  white  sticks  they  bore  in 
their  hands,  and  broke  the  image  of  the  idol  in 
ten  thousand  pieces;  then  they  turned  to  the 


220  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

maidens,  whose  hands  they  took,  as  if  to  assure 
them  of  their  protection;  and  now  they  con 
fronted  the  villanous  and  cowardly  priests  of 
Moloch. 

"Villains,"  said  the  elder  of  the  two,  "das 
tardly,  cowardly  villains,  your  licentiousness, 
your  iniquity,  has  .at  last  reached  up  to  the 
throne  of  Jehovah,  the  true  God  of  Israel. 

"  We  have  been  sent  to  put  a  stop  to  your 
wicked  and  sinful  career.  Look  upon  these 
innocent  maidens,  whom  in  your  villany  you 
had  selected  for  a  fate  worse  than  ten  thousand 
deaths,  whom  you  had  selected  to  minister  to 
your  beastly  lusts,  to  satisfy  your  hellish  desires, 
while  you  made  your  poor  deluded  followers 
believe  that  they  were  to  be  sacrificed  to  that 
miserable  idol  the  broken  pieces  of  which  are 
crumbling  under  my  feet. 

"  Begone,  ye  rascals  !  pollute  no  longer  the 
temple  of  Jehovah  with  your  presence." 

And  with  this  he  and  his  companion  again 
raised  their  sticks.  But  the  priests  did  not  await 
the  onset :  as  if  driven  by  ten  thousand  demons, 
they  jumped  up  and  fled  out  of  the  temple;  and 
they  did  not  rest  until  they  reached  a  small 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  221 

house  near  the  outskirts  of  the  city,  where  the 
underground  apartments  for  the  reception  of 
their  victims  were  dug. 

The  pretended  heavenly  messengers  had, 
meanwhile,  turned  to  the  assembled  people,  and, 
in  a  solemn  voice,  he  who  bore  the  resemblance 
of  Mordecai  said,  "  Men  of  Israel !  deeply 
have  ye  offended  the  great  Jehovah,  Him  who 
in  his  infinite  goodness  and  mercy  led  us  safely 
out  of  the  land  of  our  oppressors,  over  the 
boundless  waters,  to  this  glorious  country,  where 
you  might  have  prospered,  where  you  might 
have  prayed  to  him  in  his  own  temple. 

"  But  you  have  turned  away  from  the  God  of 
your  fathers:  the  temple  you  erected  to  him 
you  have  desecrated ;  you  have  turned  it  into  a 
temple  of  Moloch, — the  imaginary  heathenish 
deity  whose  image  lies  broken  beneath  my  feet, 
and  who  has  not  even  the  power  to  punish  its 
destroyer.  Your  priests  are  hypocrites  and  im 
postors,  and  you  stand  on  the  brink  of  a  fearful 
abyss.  Woe  unto  you  if  ye  do  not  return  to 
the  only  true  God  of  Israel ! 

"Your  city  shall  be  destroyed,  and  you  shall 
be  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth,  if  you  do 


222  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

not  leave  your  evil  ways.  Go  to  your  homes 
now,  and  reflect  on  what  you  have  seen  and 
heard.  But  these  maidens  will  remain  with  us  : 
you  have  forfeited  all  claims  to  them :  yet  no 
harm  will  befall  them,  and  if  you  indeed  return 
to  the  true  God  of  Israel,  they  will  be  restored 
to  you  in  their  purity  and  innocence,  whereas 
otherwise  you  will  never  see  them  again." 

Now  the  mysterious  visitor  ceased,  and  one 
after  the  other  the  people  left  the  temple, 
marvelling  at  what  they  had  seen  and  heard. 
Nahum,  Hermione,  and  Aaron  indeed  made  an 
attempt  to  join  their  children,  but  an  imperious 
gesture  of  the  two  "messengers"  drove  them  back, 
and  at  last  they  too  left  the  temple  to  seek  their 
homes. 

When  the  last  of  the  lingerers  had  dis 
appeared,  the  pretended  ghosts  tore  off  their  dis 
guise  and  revealed  to  the  gaze  of  the  astonished 
maidens  the  well-known  and  beloved  forms  and 

features  of  Omar  and  Gad. 

#  &  #  %  * 

When  Abner  had  left  his  father's  house  some 
three  or  four  hours  before,  the  two  friends  had 
implored  old  Isaac  to  help  them  in  rescuing 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  223 

the  doomed  virgins,  in  terms  so  supplicating 
and  earnest  that  the  old  man  could  not  with 
stand,  and  he  had  formed  a  plan  whereby  the 
young  men  might  possibly  gain  their  object,  as 
we  have  seen  above.  The  father  of  Abner 
knew,  as  well  as  his  son,  that  any  ordinary 
stratagem,  any  ordinary  cunning,  would  be  of 
no  avail  against  the  superior  craft  of  the 
priests  of  Moloch;  and  so  he  came  to  the  con 
clusion  that  only  by  working  upon  the  super 
stition  of  the  people  was  any  thing  to  be  gained 
against  the  wishes  and  the  will  of  the  priests. 
The  old  man  had  of  course  retained  a  perfect 
recollection  of  the  outward  appearance  of  old 
Mordecai,  and  so,  when  Omar  and  Gad  had  de 
clared  their  willingness  to  do  and  dare  any  thing 
to  liberate  the  two  imperilled  maidens,  he  with 
the  aid  of  a  wig  and  a  false  beard  disguised  Omar, 
the  stoutest  of  the  two,  so  well  that  any  one  who 
saw  him  might  easily  have  taken  him  for  the  de 
ceased  liberator  of  the  Israelites.  Gad,  whose 
light  and  airy  form  fitted  him  exactly  for  that 
purpose,  was  made  to  resemble  an  angel  of  the 
Lord.  Then  the  two  friends  provided  themselves 
with  white  garments  and  sticks  of  the  same 


224  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

color,  and,  after  they  had  been  instructed  by  old 
Isaac  how  to  proceed  and  what  to  say,  they 
wrapped  themselves  in  large  cloaks  and  sal 
lied  forth  to  the  temple.  What,  however,  the 
result  of  their  undertaking  would  have  been 
under  any  ordinary  circumstances  is  doubtful; 
but,  long  before  they  reached  the  temple,  the 
storm  that  had  been  gathering  since  noon, 
and  the  first  fury  of  which  had  prostrated  the 
two  priests  in  the  temple,  burst  upon  them. 
Yet  so  eager  were  they  to  arrive  in  time  for  the 
rescue  of  Talmai  and  Adah  that  they  did  not 
heed  the  pouring  rain;  and  scarcely  had  they 
reached  the  entrance  to  the  temple  and  thrown 
their  cloaks  at  the  foot  of  one  of  the  old  trees 
that  stood  near,  when  a  flash  of  lightning  struck 
that  very  tree,  and  set  it,  as  well  as  the  cloaks, 
on  fire.  When  the  thunder-clap  came,  they 
pushed  open  the  door  and  strode  boldly  in. 
What  followed  we  have  already  seen. 

And  now  we  return  to  the  rescuers  and  the 
rescued.  The  lovers  had  already  informed  their 
sweethearts  of  what  we  know  concerning  them 
selves  and  their  plan,  and  now  they  were  delibe 
rating  on  the  course  they  were  to  pursue. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED    MEN.  225 

"Here,"  Omar  said,  "we  cannot  stay;  while  for 
you,  Talmai  and  Adah,  it  would  be  equally  dan 
gerous  to  return  to  your  homes.  For,  although 
the  people  have  been  terribly  frightened  to-day, 
to-morrow  these  villanous  priests  of  Moloch 
will  be  reinstated  in  full  power;  and,  believe 
me,  they  will  soon  return  to  the  attempt  to  get 
you  into  their  possession.  No !  in  flight  only 
lies  your  safety.  Perhaps  in  time  our  friends 
may  return  to  the  God  of  their  fathers,  and 
then  we  may  return  to  them.  But,  if  that 
should  not  be  the  case,  Jehovah,  who  has  helped 
and  protected  us  thus  far,  will  help  and  protect 
us  still  farther. 

"  At  the  distance  of  about  a  league  from  this 
city  there  is  a  cave  which  I  accidentally  dis 
covered  while  out  hunting  one  day;  and,  as  night 
is  fast  approaching,  we  can  easily  leave  the  temple 
and  proceed  to  that  shelter  under  cover  of  the 
darkness ;  and,  while  you  remain  there  under  the 
protection  of  Gad,  I  shall  return  to  secure  and 
bring  away  such  of  your  and  my  own  clothing 
and  other  property  as  we  may  want, — a  task  by 
no  means  difficult  for  me,  as  I  have  free  and 
easy  access  to  the  households  as  well  of  Nahum 


226  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

as  of  Aaron  and  Korah.  I  then  shall  return  to 
you,  and  we  will  stay  in  that  cave  as  long  as  we 
can  do  so  with  security;  while  the  game  and  the 
fruit  that  abound  in  that  vicinity  will  not  let  us 
want  for  the  necessaries  of  life." 

To  follow  this  advice,  Gad  and  the  maidens 
saw,  was  the  best  thing  they  could  do  under  exist 
ing  circumstances;  and,  as  night  had  by  this 
time  fairly  set  in,  they  all  resolved  to  depart  in 
stantly.  The  two  young  men  had  retained  their 
own  clothing  when  they  were  disguised  by  old 
Isaac;  and  all  they  had  to  do,  therefore,  was  to 
throw  off  their  white  garments  and  tie  them, 
together  with  their  false  wigs  and  the  beard  of 
Omar,  into  a  bundle.  The  two  priests  who  had 
been  prostrated  by  the  lightning  lay  stiff  and 
stark  where  they  had  fallen,  and  Omar  had 
contrived  to  take  off  their  upper  garments  un- 
perceived  by  the  maidens.  He  now  wrapped 
the  latter,  to  protect  them  against  the  chill 
night-air  and  to  hide  the  snowy  color  of  their 
dresses,  in  these  ample  and  dark-hued  cloaks,  and 
then  the  four  sallied  forth  into  the  street.  They 
met  no  obstacle  in  leaving  the  city,  and,  under 
the  guidance  of  Omar  who  knew  his  road,  they 


THE  FIRST   OF    THE   BED   MEN.  227 

soon  reached  the  cavern.  This  proved  to  be  a 
large  and  airy  natural  vault;  and,  after  gathering 
the  dry  leaves  and  moss  that  lay  around  in  abun 
dance  so  as  to  form  a  soft  and  comfortable  resting- 
place,  the  maidens  lay  down,  and  soon  their 
eyes  were  closed  in  sweet  repose.  Gad  then  sat 
down  near  the  entrance,  while  Omar  returned 
to  the  city. 

Here  that  young  man  found  not  the  least  dif 
ficulty.  In  the  king's  palace,  which  he  visited 
first,  all  was  consternation  and  utter  perplexity, 
and  nobody  questioned  or,  indeed,  even  perceived 
him,  when  he  went  straight  to  Talmai's  room. 
Unperceived  he  packed  up  whatever  he  thought 
worth  taking,  and  just  as  unperceived  he  left 
the  dwelling  of  Nahum,  to  repair  to  his  father's 
house,  where  he  deposited  his  burden.  The 
same  confusion  and  perplexity  existed  in  the 
dwelling  of  Aaron,  where  he  succeeded  in  securing 
of  Adah's  wardrobe  and  other  property  as  much 
as  he  could  carry. 

Gad's  parents  had  gone  out  to  visit  and  con 
dole  with  the  afflicted  Aaron;  while  the  domes 
tics  of  the  household  had  also  left  the  dwelling, 
to  gossip  with  their  cronies  over  the  events  of 


228  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

the  day.  Here  Omar  might  have  carried  away 
all  the  house  contained;  but  he  contented 
himself  with  carrying  off  nearly  all  that  his 
friend  called  his  own.  He  then  returned  to  his 
own  dwelling,  but  his  parents  had  gone  to 
the  king's  palace,  and  therefore  Omar  had  it 
here  all  his  own  way.  First,  he  packed  up  as 
much  of  his  wardrobe  and  other  things  as  he 
wanted  to  take  along  with  him ;  then  he  tied 
all  the  bundles  together  and  went  to  the  stable, 
where  he  found  his  own  horse,  that  had  been 
caught  and  tamed  for  him.  He  put  the  bundles 
on  the  animal's  back,  and  then  went  into  the 
kitchen,  whence  he  soon  emerged  with  a  con 
siderable  bundle  of  provisions.  This  he  also 
put  on  his  horse's  back,  and  at  last  he  carefully 
and  deliberately  led  his  beast  out  into  the  street, . 
and,  without  hinderance  or  accident,  soon  was 
out  of  the  city.  About  three  hours  after  his 
departure,  the  young  man  had  again  reached 
the  cavern, — where  he  found  Gad,  still  awake, 
sitting  near  the  entrance;  and  now  the  two 
friends  carried  into  the  vault  the  goods  Omar  had 
brought  out  of  the  city,  leaving  the  horse  to  feed 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  229 

in  the  luxuriant  grass  that  grew  around  that 
spot. 

After  this  the  two  young  men  partook  of  a 
hearty  supper,  and  at  last  they  also  lay  down, 
and  soon  fell  asleep. 


20 


230  THE  LOST  TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THE   EARTHQUAKE,  AND   ITS    CONSEQUENCES. 

THE  sun  had  scarcely  risen  when  Omar  and 
Gad  arose.  Both  had  been  awake  in  the  night, 
but,  without  disturbing  one  another,  they  had 
silently  reflected  on  their  situation ;  and  now  they 
sat  down  to  deliberate  on  what  they  might  do. 

"I  think,"  Omar  said,  "it  would  be  best  for  us 
not  to  remain  here,  as  there  is  every  possibility 
of  our  retreat  being  discovered;  and  then,  I  fear, 
we  would  be  lost.  The  people  would  at  once 
become  aware  of  the  imposition  played  upon 
them,  while  the  priests  would  certainly  instigate 
them  to  resent  the  insult  to  their  god;  and 
therefore  our  only  safety  lies  in  departing  for 
a  region  where  the  inhabitants  of  New  Babylon 
are  not  likely  to  follow. 

"  But,  still,  I  believe  that  for  a  day  or  two  we  are 
safe :  our  present  retreat  is  so  well  hidden  that 
only  by  accident  can  it  be  discovered.  And  then 
I  am  sure  that  Jehovah,  who  evidently  has  been 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE  RED   MEN.  231 

and  still  is  with  us,  will  prevent  our  enemies 
from  finding  us.  I,  therefore,  would  advise 
you  to  stay  here  for  the  present  with  the  maid 
ens,  while  I  once  more  return  to  the  city,  to  see 
how  matters  stand  there.  Possibly  our  yester 
day's  exploit  may  have  affected  the  populace  in 
the  right  direction;  and,  if  so,  they  may  see  that 
they  have  done  wrong,  and  return  to  the  God 
of  their  fathers, — in  which  case  we  can  go  back  to 
our  parents  and  friends.  But,  whatever  may  be 
the  case,  they  will,  at  least,  not  suspect  me,  as  no 
one  witnessed  my  last  night's  departure,  and, 
if  the  people  see  me  return  with  my  horse,  they 
will  most  naturally  think  that  I  have  left  the 
city  early  this  morning.  I  shall  therefore  leave 
you  immediately,  and  stay  in  New  Babylon 
until  I  have  found  out  how  matters  will  turn  out 
after  yesterday's  proceedings. 

"This  may  possibly  take  me  two  days;  but,  as 
you  are  well  provisioned,  and,  as  I  said  before, 
have  nothing  to  fear  for  two  or  three  days,  you 
need  be  under  no  apprehension;  while  it  is  hardly 
necessary  for  me  to  assure  you  that  I  shall  return 
as  soon  as  I  have  found  which  course  will  be  the 
best  for  us  to  follow." 


232  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

Gad  could  find  no  objection  to  this  advice,  and 
it  was  therefore  resolved  that  Omar  should  do 
as  he  had  said. 

The  friends  now  returned  into  the  vault, 
where  they  found  the  two  maidens  just  open 
ing  their  eyes;  and,  sitting  down,  the  young 
men  told  them  what  they  had  resolved  upon. 
Talmai  and  Adah  at  once  gave  their  assent 
to  the  proposition,  and,  entreating  Omar  to 
return  as  soon  as  he  could,  bade  him  go  imme 
diately,  while  they  had  no  fear  to  stay  where 
they  were  under  the  protection  of  Gad.  And, 
leaving  them  for  a  while,  we  will  accompany 
the  son  of  Harim  and  Tamar,  who  at  once  left 
the  cavern  in  search  of  his  horse.  He  found  the 
animal  quietly  feeding  in  the  luxuriant  grass 
about  a  stone's  throw  from  the  entrance  to  the 
cavern,  and,  jumping  on  its  back,  he  rode  off. 
He  did  not  take  his  direction  straight  to  the  city, 
however,  but  went  off  farther  into  the  woods, 
where  he  soon  succeeded  in  securing  some  small 
game,  which  he  slung  across  his  horse's  back, 
and  then,  as  if  returning  from  a  hunting-expedi 
tion,  he  galloped  back  to  New  Babylon.  When 
he  rode  into  the  city,  he  found  but  few  people 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  233 

abroad,  the  majority  of  the  inhabitants  being  still 
sleeping  off  the  fatigue  of  the  previous  day,  and 
those  whom  he  met  in  the  streets  greeted  him 
cordially,  never  for  once  doubting  that  he  had 
left  the  town  that  very  morning. 

On  coming  to  his  father's  house,  Omar  found 
every  thing  quiet  and  still,  and  everybody 
sound  asleep.  He  put  his  horse  back  into  the 
stable,  and,  taking  the  game  he  had  secured,  he 
went  and  awoke  some  of  the  servants,  berating 
them  soundly  for  their  laziness.  The  aroused 
menials  rubbed  their  eyes,  jumped  up,  and, 
seeing  their  young  master,  pleaded  their  yester 
day's  fatigue  and  the  miraculous  circumstance, 
which  had  kept  them  awake  far  beyond  their 
usual  hour  for  retiring,  as  excuses  for  having 
slept  so  long.  Omar  declared  himself  satisfied 
with  this,  and,  leaving  his  game  in  the  care  of 
the  servants,  he  went  to  his  room,  where,  throw 
ing  himself  on  his  bed,  he  mused  over  his  own 
and  his  friend's  situation. 

It  was  the  ninth  hour  of  the  morning  when 
the  young  man  returned  to  his  father's  house ; 
and  about  an  hour  afterward  the  household  began 
to  stir.  A  little  later,  Omar  was  called  to  join 


234  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

his  family  at  their  morning  meal ;  and  when  he 
came  down  he  found  his  parents  in  a  seemingly 
very  much  disturbed  state  of  mind.  Harim  cor 
dially  shook  his  son's  hand, — a  thing  he  had  not 
done  for  the  last  five  years;  while  Tamar  silently 
embraced  and  kissed  her  child,  who  before,  on  ac 
count  of  his  aversion  to  the  heathenish  ways  of  his 
parents,  had  been  looked  upon  with  rather  un 
favorable  eyes.  Omar  of  course  regarded  this 
friendly  reception  as  a  good  omen,  and,  as  the  pro 
ceedings  of  the  previous  day  soon  became  the  sub 
ject  of  conversation,  he  had  the  courage  to  remon 
strate  with  his  parents  against  the  sinfulness  of 
their  previous  life.  And  as  all  the  details  of  yester 
day's  interruption  of  the  heathenish  festival  were 
known  to  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  city,  whether 
they  had  participated  in  the  procession  or  not, 
it  was  not  surprising  that  he  too  should  have 
been  informed  of  all  that  had  occurred;  and 
therefore  he  spoke  without  fear  on  that  score. 
"Jehovah,"  he  said,  "has  most  significantly 
shown  you  that  he  is  God  indeed ;  or  what  else 
could  have  prevented  the  consummation  of  the 
ungodly  sacrifice  ?  What  a  glorious  sign  of  his 
infinite  goodness  and  mercy,  to  send  your  de- 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  235 

parted  friend  and  teacher  to  admonish  you  to 
leave  your  heathenish  ways !  Believe  me,  the 
two  virtuous  maidens,  whom  the  wicked  priests 
of  Moloch  were  about  to  sacrifice,  not  to  their 
false  god,  but  to  their  own  beastly  desires,  are 
safe  and  well  cared  for ;  and,  if  our  friends  do 
indeed  return  to  the  true  God  of  their  fathers, 
Talmai  and  Adah  will  be  restored  to  the  em 
brace  of  their  parents.  Yes,  my  dearest  father, 
my  most  beloved  mother,  in  Jehovah  alone  there 
is  salvation,  in  him  only  must  our  hopes  be 
centred.  And  what  is  he  whom  you  have  thus 
far  served,  whom  you  call  your  god?  An  image 
of  clay  and  wood,  made  by  the  hands  of  its 
villanous  priests,  which  could  not  even  with 
stand  the  strokes  of  a  feeble  old  man,  but  fell  to 
the  ground,  broken  into  ten  thousand  pieces. 
And  where  then  was  the  mighty  being  whom,  as 
you  say,  it  represented  ?  Believe  me,  this  being 
exists  only  in  your  imagination ;  else  why  did 
it  not  strike  the  profane  destroyer?  Not  ten 
thousand  Molochs  would  have  been  able  to  harm 
a  single  hair  on  the  heads  of  the  two  virgins ! 
But  Jehovah  spoke,  and  your  idol  and  its  ac 
cursed  priests  were  dumb.  The  great  I  AM  sent 


236  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

one  of  his  messengers  on  the  wings  of  lightning, 
and  your  souls  trembled  in  awe,  while  the  two 
maidens  went  free. 

"  0  my  beloved  parents,  I  adjure  you  by  Him 
who  made  heaven  and  earth,  return  from  your 
evil  ways,  return  to  the  God  of  Israel  while  yet 
it  is  time,  or  else  it  may  be  too  late,  and  you 
will  be  lost  forever !" 

Omar  had  grown  warm  while  he  proceeded, 
and  his  parents  listened  in  speechless  surprise 
and  wonder.  Never  before  had  they  heard  their 
son  speak  so  eloquently  and  fearlessly;  and 
if  at  that  moment  it  had  depended  upon  them, 
there  is  little  doubt  that  the  Israelites  would 
have  been  made  to  leave  their  heathenish  ways 
and  return  to  the  God  of  Abraham,  Isaac,  and 
Jacob. 

But  that  was  not  to  be  :  the  tribes  of  Israel 
were  to  be  lost  forever. 

The  morning  meal  had  not  been  ended,  when 
there  came  a  knock  at  the  door.  Harim  in 
vited  the  comer  to  enter :  the  door  opened,  and 
in  came  old  Korah,  his  face  wearing  a  troubled 
expression.  His  son  had  not  been  at  home  all 
night,  and  was  not  to  be  found  in  the  city.  All 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  237 

the  clothes  and  other  property  of  the  young  man 
had  also  disappeared,  and  the  father  began  to 
fear  that  his  child  was  lost  to  him.  He  had  hoped 
to  find  him  at  the  house  of  his  friend,  or  at  least 
to  hear  there  some  tidings  of  the  lost  one.  The 
former  he  saw  was  not  the  case ;  but  in  the  latter 
he  was  not  disappointed.  Omar  had  indeed  seen 
Gad  leave  the  city  on  the  previous  day,  and  so 
he  told  the  old  man, — adding  at  the  same  time 
that  his  friend  had  left  because  he  feared  the 
priests  of  Moloch  would  try  to  injure  or  destroy 
him,  as  he  was  known  to  be  opposed  to  their 
teachings  and  doings;  and  therefore  he  had 
thought  it  best  to  depart,  for  a  time  at  least, 
promising,  however,  to  return  as  soon  as  he 
should  hear  that  the  power  of  the  priests  was 
broken.  "  And  here,"  the  speakel-  continued,  turn 
ing  to  his  parents,  "  you  see  another  of  the  con 
sequences  of  heathenish  idolatry.  Nahum,  our 
king,  and  Aaron,  already  mourn  the  loss  of  their 
children,  who  have  been  driven  from  their 
homes  through  the  instrumentality  of  Moloch's 
rascally  priests ;  and,  believe  me,  they  will  never 
return  until  you  all  again  acknowledge  the  true 
God  of  Israel.  Behold  here  our  good  old  friend 


238  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

Korah :  his  father-heart  yearns  for  his  absent  boy, 
than  whom  a  better  and  more  virtuous  son  the 
world  never  saw.  Gad,  too,  I  am  afraid,  will  not 
jet  urn  until  the  accursed  priests  of  heathenism 
have  lost  their  powerful  influence.  But,  alas ! 
when  will  that  be?  Even  I,  much  as  I  love 
my  parents  and  my  native  city,  may  yet  be 
obliged  to  flee  before  the  wrath  of  these  men, 
who  are  well  aware  that  I  too  am  opposed  to 
their  false  doctrines." 

The  last  part  of  this  speech  produced  its  due 
effect  on  the  young  man's  hearers ;  and,  if  Harim 
had  before  been  determined  to  leave  the  ways 
of  the  heathens,  he  and  Korah  now  solemnly 
vowed  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  restore  the  true 
religion. 

While  they  Were  yet  speaking,  a  messenger 
of  the  king  was  shown  into  the  room,  who  sum 
moned  Harim  and  Korah  to  the  royal  palace, 
and  the  two  officers  lost  no  time  in  obeying  their 
master's  will,  while  Omar — who.  as  an  especial 
favorite  of  Nahum,  had  often  been  allowed  to 
attend  the  councils  of  state — followed  his  father. 
When  the  trio  arrived  at  the  king's  palace,  they 
found  a  great  concourse  of  people  assembled  near 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  239 

the  en  trance,  all  eagerly  talking  and  gesticu 
lating.  Omar,  without  losing  sight  of  his  father, 
went  as  near  the  crowd  as  he  could,  when  he 
distinguished  the  words,  "A  great  wonder,  in 
deed!  Truly,  truly,  Moloch  is  a  great  god!" 
But  the  disappearance  of  Harim  and  Korah 
within  the  door  of  the  palace  prevented  him 
from  hearing  more. 

When  the  new-comers  entered  the  council- 
chamber,  they  found  the  king,  surrounded  by  his 
officers,  seated  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  while 
on  a  platform,  and  occupying  the  chairs  of  state, 
sat  Shadrach,  the  high-priest  of  Moloch,  and  his 
nineteen  assistants.  Omar's  heart  sank  at  sight 
of  the  latter;  for  at  once  he  suspected  that,  so  far 
from  having  lost  their  power  and  influence,  they 
had  already  contrived,  with  their  usual  cunning, 
to  turn  the  proceedings  of  the  previous  day  in 
their  favor.  And  in  this  the  young  man  was  not 
mistaken.  All  the  king's  councillors  and  officers 
were  now  assembled  ;  and,  when  every  one  had 
been  seated,  Shadrach  arose,  and,  in  a  solemn 
voice,  said, — 

"  Men  of  New  Babylon,  rejoice  !  for  yesterday 
the  great  and  mighty  Moloch  showed  us  that  he 


240  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

is  god  indeed !  That  flash  of  lightning  which 
prostrated  our  two  younger  brethren  was  nothing 
less  than  the  august  presence  of  our  lord,  before 
the  glory  of  which  his  unworthy  priests  fell  to 
the  ground.  The  two  seeming  ghosts  you  saw 
enter  the  temple  were  but  insignificant  messen 
gers  of  Beelzebub,  who,  being  a  relentless  enemy 
of  our  mighty  god,  tried  to  sink  the  latter  in  our 
estimation.  Yet  the  great  Moloch,  in  his  mercy, 
forbore :  he  disdained  to  crush  them :  he  even 
permitted  them  to  address  you,  ay,  and  to  destroy 
his  own  holy  image.  But  this  last  insult  was 
too  great ;  and,  when  the  last  of  you  had  left 
the  temple,  the  messengers — one  of  whom  had 
borrowed  a  disguise  resembling  the  long-departed 
Mordecai — were  felled  to  the  ground,  never  more 
to  rise,  while  our  two  brethren  were  raised  up 
and  restored  to  consciousness  by  our  god's  own 
hands ;  and  here  they  are  to  bear  witness  to  the 
greatness  and  mercy  of  Moloch.  The  two  vir 
gins  Talmai  and  Adah  were  gathered  to  the 
bosom  of  our  divine  master,  and  by  him  borne 
to  his  celestial  habitation, — he  having  appeared 
among  us  for  that  very  purpose. 

"  This  morning,  soon  after  the  sun  had  arisen, 


THE    FIRST    OF   THE    RED   MEN.  241 

I,  accompanied  by  seventeen  of  my  brethren, 
repaired  to  the  temple,  our  hearts  sad  and  de 
sponding, — for  even  we  had  begun  to  fear  that 
the  power  of  Moloch  was  not  so  great  as  we 
had  supposed, — when,  on  coming  to  the  altar, 
judge  of  our  surprise,  we  saw  the  image,  bright 
and  glorious,  standing  in  its  place,  and  our  two 
brethren  kneeling  before  it,  singing  songs  of 
praise,  while  our  two  visitors  of  yesterday  lay 
stiff  and  cold  on  the  floor. 

"Full  of  wonder  and  awe,  we  rushed  back 
and  threw  open  the  doors  of  the  temple,  when 
some  of  our  people,  who  were  in  the  neighbor 
hood,  came  in,  and  also  witnessed  what  we  had 

* 

seen.     Our  two  restored  brethren  then  informed 

us  of  all  that  had  transpired,  and,  with  the  help 

of  the  people,  we  buried  the  corpses,  after  which 

we  hastened  to  our  gracious  king's  palace,  to 

inform  our  ruler  and   his   councillors  of  what 

!  had  transpired,  and  to  all  of  which  the  multi- 

!  tude  who  are  assembled  in  the  court  below  can 

i  bear  witness." 

When  the  high-priest  ceased,  all  present  were 

awe-struck,  while  some  of  the  firmer  adherents 
o.  21 


242  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

to  Moloch  and  his  priests  cried  out,  "  Great  is 
Moloch,  and  he  is  god  indeed !" 

Had  a  thunderbolt  fallen  at  Omar's  feet,  that 
young  man  could  not  have  been  more  astonished. 
That  the  villanous  priests  would  do  all  in  their 
power  to  defend  their  idol,  as  well  as  themselves, 
after  the  occurrences  of  the  previous  day,  he 
had  not  for  one  moment  doubted ;  but  to  hear 
them  utter  such  a  barefaced  falsehood  he  had 
never  expected.  But  what  should  he  do  ?  To 
unmask  the  hypocrisy  of  Shadrach,  to  con 
vince  his  hearers  that  all  the  high-priest  had 
said  was  an  atrocious  lie,  he  must  disclose  the 
deception  himself  and  Gad  had  played  on  the 
people  of  New  Babylon;  he  must  betray  the 
retreat  of  Talmai  and  Adah;  and  that  he  dared 
not  do.  Had  his  own  safety,  had  his  own  life, 
only,  depended  on  the  disclosure,  he  would  not 
for  an  instant  have  hesitated ;  but  he  could 
not  endanger  the  lives  of  those  who  were  even 
dearer  to  him  than  his  parents.  Still,  his  love 
of  truth  did  not  permit  him  to  be  silent ;  and, 
after  a  short  hesitation,  he  arose,  and  said,  in 
warning  tones, — 

"  Friends  and  countrymen,  believe  not  what 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE    RED    MEN.  243 

you  have  heard.  A  voice  within  my  bosom  tells 
me  that  all  that  that  priest  of  Moloch  has 
told  you  is  falsehood !  And,  more,  were  I 
assured  of  one  thing,  I  could  convince  you  that 
you  are  being  grossly  imposed  upon.  I " 

But  here  the  speaker  was  interrupted  by  the 
assembled  priests  and  their  friends,  who  loudly 
demanded  the  instant  destruction  of  the  unbe 
liever,  while,  at  a  sign  from  Shadrach,  the  doors 
of  the  council-chamber  were  thrown  open,  and 
in  rushed  the  fanatic  people,  shouting  and 
crying,  "Great  is  Moloch,  and  he  is  our  god 
indeed!" 

When  order  had  in  some  measure  been  re 
stored,  the  new-comers  were  asked  what  they 
had  seen  in  the  temple  that  morning;  and,  in 
the  most  positive  language,  they  corroborated 
the  statement  of  the  high-priest;  while  the  latter 
regarded  Omar  with  looks  of  deadly  hatred. 

Our  hero  now  saw  that  all  was  indeed  lost,  and 
that  his  last  hope  had  been  destroyed.  If  the 
bold  statement  of  Shadrach  had  astonished  him, 
the  corroboration  of  this  statement  by  so  many 
people,  whom  he  could  not  believe  capable  of  so 
barefaced  a  falsehood,  absolutely  startled  him. 


244  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

And,  in  fact,  they  had  but  spoken  the  truth 
in  corroborating  the  lie  of  the  high-priest. 

When,  on  the  previous  day,  the  terrified  priests 
of  Moloch  had  fled  from  the  temple  before  the 
seemingly  supernatural  visitors,  as  we  have  seen 
in  the  preceding  chapter,  they  did  not  stop 
until  they  arrived  at  a  small  house  near  the 
outskirts  of  the  city,  which  served  as  the 
ordinary  dwelling-place  of  Shadrach.  Here 
they  locked  themselves  in,  and  sat  down  to  talk 
over  the  occurrence  they  had  just  witnessed 
and  to  devise  means  how  this  thing  might  be 
turned  in  their  favor ;  for  they  naturally  feared 
that,  if  something  to  that  effect  was  not  done 
instantaneously,  their  influence  and  power  would 
be  lost.  They  deliberated  long  and  earnestly, 
without  coming  to  an  understanding,  until  at 
last  the  youngest  member  of  the  fraternity, 
more  cunning  than  the  rest,  advised  them  to  go 
to  the  temple  in  the  still  hour  of  midnight, 
when  nobody  would  perceive  them,  there  to 
gather  up  and  bring  away  the  fragments  of 
the  image,  and  to  replace  the  latter  by  a  similar 
one  that  he  had  seen  lying  in  the  vault  of 
the  temple.  Then  they  were  to  disguise  the 


THE   FIRST   OF    THE    RED   MEN.  245 

two  slain  priests  so  as  to  make  them  resemble 
the  two  ghosts,  while  they  could  easily  find 
among  their  faithful  friends  and  adherents  two 
men  who  should  replace  the  lost  members  of 
their  brotherhood, — a  thing  which  might  be  the 
more  easily  accomplished  as  they,  the  priests, 
jiever  went  abroad  without  putting  on  a  disguise. 

"And  after  all  this  is  accomplished,"  the 
speaker  continued,  "we  will  retire  to  this 
house,  while  the  two  new-made  members  shall 
remain  kneeling  before  the  image  of  Moloch, 
and  sing  songs  of  praise,  as  if  in  gratitude  for 
their  deliverance. 

"  Shortly  after  to-morrow's  sun  rises,  we  will 
return  to  the  temple,  and,  upon  finding  all  as 
we  shall  have  left  it,  we  will  throw  open  the 
doors,  and  invite  all  whom  we  may  see  in  the 
neighborhood  to  come  in  and  witness  the 
mighty  and  wonderful  deeds  of  our  great  god. 
By  this  means  we  shall  make  the  inhabitants 
of  this  city  believe  that  Moloch  is  indeed  a  mighty 
god,  and  our  influence  will  remain  the  same,  while 
our  power  will  be  strengthened  and  enlarged." 

This  advice  met  the  full  approbation  of  all 
present,  and,  when  the  twelfth  hour  had  come, 

21* 


246  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL  ;   OR, 

they  went  to  the  temple.  Here  they  set  to 
work  to  clear  away  the  fragments  of  the  broken 
image;  and  then  they  descended  into  the  base 
ment,  where  they  soon  found  the  other  statue, 
exactly  like  the  destroyed  one,  and  which  had 
been  made  by  the  priests  themselves  for  any 
emergency  that  might  render  an  instantaneous 
replacement  necessary.  When  the  new  image 
had  been  put  on  the  altar,  the  priests  turned  to 
the  corpses  of  their  late  associates,  whom  they 
found  in  the  place  where  they  had  fallen;  and 
here  they  were  surprised  to  see  that  the  upper 
garments  of  both  had  been  removed. 

But  there  was  no  time  for  deliberation  as  to 
the  cause  of  this;  and  therefore  the  two  bodies 
were  forthwith  wrapped  in  white  sheets  brought 
for  the  purpose,  the  closely-fitting,  masks  were 
taken  off  the  faces,  and  these  latter  so  carefully 
and  well  disguised  that  a  superficial  observer 
might  easily  have  taken  them  for  those  of  the 
two  visitors  of  the  previous  day. 

And  now  the  two  men  who  were  to  be  put 
in  stead  of  the  two  lost  members  of  the  frater 
nity  must  be  found.  Under  ordinary  circum 
stances,  this  would  have  been  a  very  difficult 


THE    FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  247 

task;  but  the  wily  priests  were  well  prepared 
for  all  emergencies. 

The  vault,  or  basement,  of  the  temple  was 
connected  by  a  subterranean  passage  with  a 
house  whose  inmates  were  in  the  interest  of 
Shadrach  and  his  companions,  and  where  the 
latter  were  always  sure  to  find  some  of  their 
firmest  and  most  faithful  friends. 

Thither  the  high-priest  now  went,  followed  by 
two  of  his  assistants.  The  passage  was  a  nar 
row  and  winding  one;  but  the  three  men  were 
provided  with  blazing  torches,  and  so,  one  after 
the  other,  they  strode  boldly  forward,  until,  after 
a  long  walk  of  nearly  half  a  mile,  they  came  to 
a  stout  iron  door  set  deep  into  a  wall.  Here 
they  halted,  while  Shadrach  took  out  of  a 
pocket  in  his  cloak  a  small  key,  and,  inserting 
this  into  the  lock  of  the  afore-mentioned  door,  the 
latter  flew  open,  admitting  the  trio  into  an  ordi 
nary  cellar.  With  this  place  the  high-priest  seemed 
to  be  well  acquainted;  for,  without  hesitation,  he 
went  straight  to  a  door  opposite  to  that  through 
which  they  had  entered,  and  which  yielded  to 
a  light  touch  of  his  hand.  The  three  priests 
then  ascended  a  short  flight  of  steps  thus  dis- 


248  THE    LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

closed,  and  soon  found  themselves  at  the  door 
of  a  room  whence  proceeded  the  sound  of 
many  voices. 

Shadrach  gave  three  loud  knocks  in  quick 
succession, — when  the  door  was  opened,  show 
ing  to  our  wanderers  a  good-sized  apartment, 
filled  with  people  of  both  sexes.  On  entering, 
the  visitors  were  cordially,  not  to  say  rever 
ently,  received,  for  they  were  well  known  to 
all  present;  and  here  the  hypocritical  priests 
of  Moloch  did  not  hesitate  to  lay  off  their 
usual  solemnity,  but  showed  something  of  their 
true  colors.  After  somewhat  warmly  saluting 
the  young  and  handsome  girls  present,  in  whom 
we  recognize  the  "daughters  of  Moloch"  who 
played  so  conspicuous  a  part  in  the  grand  proces 
sion  of  the  preceding  day,  and  when  they  had 
exchanged  friendly  salutations  with  the  rest  of 
the  assembly,  the  three  "brothers"  sat  down 
and  took  part  in  the  general  discussion,  which 
of  course  turned  on  the  strange  and  unex 
pected  interruption  of  the  great  sacrifice.  But 
when  some  one  expressed  a  fear  that  this  might 
hurt  the  influence  and  power  of  himself  and 
associates,  Shadrach  gayly  shook  his  head,  and 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  249 

said,  "Be  under  no  apprehension  for  us,  my 
friends ;  for  a  great  and  mighty  god  like  Moloch 
is  not  easily  to  be  hurt;  and  we  have  already 
learned  that  it  was  himself  who,  in  one  of  his 
strange  moods,  created  all  that  disturbance.  The 
two  priests,  whom  you  saw  fall  down,  were  not 
killed :  they  recognized,  in  the  flash  of  light 
ning  that  illumined  the  temple  when  they  were 
about  to  perform  their  office,  the  august  presence 
of  our  great  god,  and,  well  aware  of  their  own 
unworthiness,  they  prostrated  themselves  to  the 
ground;  whereas  the  two  seemingly  super 
natural  visitors  were  actually  stricken  down  and 
killed  after  you  left  the  temple;  for  even  now 
we  saw  their  corpses  stiff  and  stark  at  the  foot 
of  the  altar." 

There  was  great  rejoicing  among  the  company 
when  they  heard  this,  as,  for  reasons  of  their  own, 
they  would  not  have  relished  the  downfall  of  Mo 
loch  and  heathenism ;  and,  after  a  little  further 
conversation,  the  priests  left  by  the  same  way  they 
had  come,  not,  however,  before  they  had  ex 
changed  glances  with  two  villanous  and  sensual- 
looking  individuals,  whom  they  secretly  beckoned 
to  follow  them. 


250  THE   LOST  TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

When  the  high-priest,  followed  by  his  two  assist 
ants  and  the  two  men  whom  he  had  selected  to  re 
place  his  lost  associates,  returned  to  the  temple, 
he  found  every  thing  in  order ;  and  then  he  in 
formed  the  two  latter  personages  that  they 
might  become  members  of  his  fraternity,  if  they 
were  willing  to  fulfil  certain  conditions,  which 
would  instantly  be  made  known  to  them.  The 
two  villains  would,  of  course,  gladly  do  any  thing 
in  their  power  to  merit  the  honor  to  be  con 
ferred  upon  them ;  for  well  they  knew  the  in 
fluence  which  as  priests  of  Moloch  they  would 
share  with  the  rest;  and,  being  led  into  a  circle 
formed  by  the  priests  in  front  of  the  altar  of 
the  idol,  a  terrible  oath,  by  which  they  promised 
to  live  only  for  the  interests  of  the  brotherhood, 
and  on  no  account  and  under  no  circumstances 
to  divulge  any  secret  they  might  become  ac 
quainted  with,  was  administered  to  them. 

When  this  was  duly  taken,  the  two  men  were 
formally  installed  in  their  new  office,  and  then 
Shadrach  addressed  them,  as  follows  : — 

"  Brethren,"  he  said,  "  you  are  now  duly  in 
stalled  as  priests  of  Moloch,  and  it  is  but  right 
that  you  should  know  whom  we  serve,  and  what 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE    RED   MEN.  251 

the  true  object  of  our  life  is.  Moloch,  the  great 
and  mighty  god,  is  but  a  creation  of  our  ima 
gination,  whom  we  profess  to  serve,  to  gain  the 
great  object  of  our  life, — ease,  comfort,  and  plea 
sure.  When,  six  years  ago,  after  the  departure 
of  old  Ezra  and  his  followers,  our  countrymen 
turned  completely  from  the  religion  of  their  fore 
fathers  and  began  to  follow  the  ways  of  the  hea 
thens,  I,  in  company  with  some  others,  many  of 
whom  are  now  gone  from  among  us,  resolved  to 
turn  this  to  our  advantage.  We  went  to  work 
earnestly,  and  at  first  secretly  tried  to  win  as 
many  as  we  could  over  to  our  new  doctrines. 
We  professed  to  be  inspired  by  dreams,  and  at 
last  succeeded  in  introducing  our  ideas  to  our 
entire  satisfaction.  By  flattering  the  senses  of 
our  adherents,  we  soon  gained  a  powerful  in 
fluence  ;  and  then  we  slowly  but  determinedly 
advanced  toward  the  object  we  had  in  view. 

"Ease  and  comfort  we  soon  found;  for  scarcely 
had  our  new  god  been  fairly  inaugurated,  when 
his  devotees  exerted  themselves  to  make  our 
lives  easy  and  comfortable.  But  of  pleasure  we 
at  first  found  very  little :  as  priests  of  an  almighty 
and  great  god,  we  were  expected  to  lead  a  sober 


252  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

and  quiet  life,  and  what  little  recreation  we  had 
we  were  obliged  to  seek  secretly,  and  only  among 
those  of  our  friends  whom  we  knew  to  be  faith 
ful  to  our  selves.  Yet  this  was  dangerous. 
We  might  be  betrayed,  and  lose  all  we  had 
gained.  It  was,  therefore,  necessary  that  we 
should  have  an  object  of  pleasure  within  our 
own  exclusive  possession ;  and  we  therefore  re 
solved  to  introduce  the  annual  sacrifice  of  one 
or  more  virgins,  whom  we  of  course  meant  to 
keep  for  the  satisfaction  of  our  own  desires. 
But  in  this  we  met  with  an  unexpected  and 
serious  opposition  on  the  part  of  the  people 
themselves,  w^hom  this  new  proposal  startled; 
and,  although  we  at  last  were  successful,  we 
deemed  it  advisable  to  be  satisfied  with  one 
victim,  and  to  postpone  the  repetition  of  the 
sacrifice  for  five  years. 

"  But  in  the  mean  time  our  power  and  in 
fluence  have  increased  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  are  now  superior  to  even  those  of  the  king 
himself,  and,  as  you  must  have  seen  yester 
day,  we  are  in  a  fair  way  of  having  things  as  we 
desire  them.  And  now,  on  the  very  eve  of  suc 
cess,  we  have  been  thwarted :  not  only  have  the 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  253 

prizes  been  taken  away  from  us,  but  our  character 
and  influence  are  endangered.  But  these  latter 
must  be  preserved  by  all  means;  and,  as  our  in 
terest  is  now  your  own,  I  suppose  that  you  will 
not  hesitate  to  stand  by  us  to  the  last.  That  the 
storm  which  yesterday  so  unexpectedly  and  fa 
tally  interrupted  our  proceedings  was  indeed  a 
reality,  we  cannot  doubt ;  for  our  two  brethren, 
whom  you  saw  fall  down,  were  killed  by  the 
lightning.  But  the  two  seeming  ghosts,  I  am 
sure,  were  human  beings ;  and,  if  I  am  not  very 
much  deceived,  they  were  Omar,  the  son  of  Ha- 
rim,  and  Gad,  the  son  of  Korah,  who  have  ever 
been  opposed  to  our  doctrines,  and  whom  I  have 
since  ascertained  to  have  been  the  accepted  lovers 
of  the  two  maidens  whom  we  meant  to  make 
our  own. 

"  Still,  we  are  not  certain  as  to  that,  and  there 
fore  we  must  proceed  with  the  utmost  caution. 
If  it  really  is  as  I  think,  the  two  young  men 
will  hold  their  peace,  so  as  not  to  betray  their 
complicity  in  the  matter;  and  all  we  have  to  do, 
therefore,  is  to  make  the  people  believe  that  Mo 
loch  himself  sent  the  storm  and  took  away  the 
virgins  bodily.  And  if  afterward  any  thing 

22 


254     THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;  OR, 

should  turn  up  in  regard  to  this  affair,  we  must 
trust  to  chance  and  our  own  boldness  and  inge 
nuity.  We  must  further  make  the  people  believe 
that  the  two  priests,  whom  you  represent,  have 
not  been  killed,  but  only  prostrated  themselves 
before  the  presence  of  our  god,  and  were  raised 
up  afterward  by  Moloch  himself,  while,  as  soon 
as  the  people  had  left  the  temple,  the  two  seem 
ingly  supernatural  visitors  had  been  stricken 
down  and  destroyed.  To  that  end  we  have  dis 
guised  the  two  corpses  of  our  fallen  brethren  in 
such  a  manner  that  they  may  easily  be  taken 
for  those  whom  we  want  them  to  represent,  and 
you  must  stay  here  in  the  temple  while  we 
return.  You  must  kneel  down  before  the  new 
image  and  sing  songs  of  praise,  as  if  in  gratitude 
for  your  providential  deliverance.  Shortly  after 
sunrise  we  shall  come  back  again,  and  on  seeing 
you  and  the  restored  image  we  shall  profess  to 
be  greatly  surprised.  We  shall  run  and  throw 
open  the  doors  of  the  temple,  to  invite  all  who 
may  be  in  the  vicinity  to  come  in  and  witness 
the  great  wonder.  You  must  then  come  for 
ward,  having  previously  put  on  the  masks  and 
clothes  of  our  dead  brethren,  and  relate  to  us 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  255 

and  the  accompanying  people  how  our  great  god 
himself  raised  you  up,  slew  the  two  seeming 
ghosts,  and  afterward  disappeared  with  the 
maidens.  By  that  we  shall  make  the  people 
believe  that  Moloch  is  indeed  a  great  and  mighty 
god,  and  at  the  same  time  strengthen  our  in 
fluence  and  power.  Afterward  we  shall  easily 
be  able  to  get  the  two  young  men,  whom  I  sus 
pect,  into  our  hands,  where  we  will  deprive  them 
of  all  chance  of  harming  us  again ;  and  in  less 
than  eight  days  we  will  be  in  possession  of  all 
we  want  for  the  satisfaction  of  our  desires." 

The  new  priests  were  delighted  with  the  pros 
pects  so  glowingly  depicted  by  the  wily  Shadrach, 
and  they  of  course  promised  to  do  their  utmost 
to  bring  the  glorious  plan  to  a  successful  issue. 

The  result  of  the  scheme  my  readers  know. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  council-chamber  of 
the  royal  palace,  where  we  left  Omar  nearly  para 
lyzed  by  what  he  had  seen  and  heard,  with  Shad- 
rach's  looks  of  hatred  and  malignity  still  bent  upon 
him.  When  the  statement  of  the  high-priest 
had  been  so  positively  corroborated  by  the  fana 
tic  multitude,  not  one  in  the  room  dared  to  doubt 
any  longer,  and  Harim  himself,  in  stern  tones, 


256  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

commanded  his  son  to  return  home, — an  order 
which  the  young  man  gladly  obeyed;  for  he  saw 
too  well  that  there  was  no  longer  any  hope  of 
bringing  his  fellow-citizens  back  to  the  only  true 
God  of  their  fathers. 

Tamar  was  sitting  alone  in  her  own  private 
room,  whither  she  had  retired  when  her  husband 
and  son  had  gone  to  the  king's  palace.  Her 
heart  was  heavy.  The  occurrences  of  the  pre 
vious  day,  and  the  earnest  words  of  Omar,  had 
made  a  deep  impression  on  her  mind.  She  began 
to  see  that  she  and  her  friends  were  hurrying  on 
to  destruction.  She  trembled  when  she  thought 
of  the  daily  increasing  and  fearful  power  of  the 
priests  of  Moloch,  whom,  in  spite  of  all  persua 
sion,  she  could  not  believe  to  be  the  true  god  of 
her  people.  When,  five  years  ago,  the  first  great 
sacrifice  had  been  demanded,  she  had  remon 
strated  with  her  husband;  she  had  even  hastened 
to  the  king,  and  on  her  bended  knees  had  ad 
jured  him  not  to  permit  so  abominable  a  thing. 

But  Harim  and  Nahum  had  then  already  gone 
too  far.  They  feared  the  wrath  of  the  people  if 
the  priests  of  their  first  deity  should  be  thwarted, 
and  Tamar  was  told  that  the  sacrifice  was 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  257 

necessary.  Weak  creature  as  she  was,  she 
allowed  herself  to  be  persuaded;  and,  as  in  the 
five  following  years  no  new  demands  had  been 
made  on  the  part  of  the  wily  priests,  she  had 
become  tranquil  and  even  reconciled  to  the  hea 
thenish  customs  of  her  countrymen. 

But  now  the  demands  had  been  renewed.  They 
had  even  become  more  extravagant  than  ever,  and 
all  had  been  granted.  Tamar  shuddered  when 
she  saw  and  heard  it ;  but  she  was  compelled  to 
look  cheerful,  and  even  to  participate  in  all  the 
shameless  orgies,  in  all  the  mocking  ceremonies, 
of  heathenism;  for  she  dared  not  refuse  to  follow 
the  example  of  her  husband  and  the  royal  pair. 

But  when  afterward  in  the  temple  she  had 
witnessed  the  discomfiture  of  the  priests  and  the 
interruption  of  the  sacrifice,  she  hastened  home 
to  her  room  :  there  she  sank  on  her  knees,  and, 
in  the  fulness  of  her  emotions,  cried,  "  Yerily, 
verily,  this  was  the  work  of  Jehovah !" 

And  now  her  son,  whom  nearly  everybody 
hated,  because  he  dared  to  show  openly  that  he 
was  opposed  to  the  teachings  and  doings  of  Shad- 
rach  and  his  confederates,  had  spoken  to  her. 
He,  too,  had  told  her  that  the  true  God  of  Israel 

R  22* 


258  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

had  sent  his  messengers  to  prevent  the  consum 
mation  of  the  heathenish  sacrifice.  He  had  ad 
monished  his  parents  to  leave  the  ways  of  the 
heathens  and  to  return  to  the  true  Creator  of 
heaven  and  earth.  "Yes,"  she  said  to  herself, 
"  Omar  will  speak  to  the  king  with  all  the  fire 
of  his  eloquence :  he  will  admonish  Nahum  to 
return  to  the  religion  of  his  fathers;  and  God 
grant  that  he  may  succeed !" 

She  was  interrupted  in  her  soliloquy  by  rapid 
footsteps  near  the  door  of  her  room.  The  next 
instant  this  was  opened,  and  her  son,  his  bosom 
heaving  and  his  countenance  flushed,  stood 
before  her. 

"All  is  lost,  dearest  mother!"  the  young  man 
exclaimed,  "  and  I  am  obliged  to  leave  you,  per 
haps  never  to  return."  He  then  related  all  he 
had  seen  and  heard  in  the  king's  palace.  "But," 
he  added,  "every  word  uttered  by  that  villanous 
priest  is  a  barefaced  falsehood.  My  true  and 
brave  friend  Gad  and  myself  were  the  two 
seemingly  supernatural  beings  who,  inspired  by 
Jehovah,  visited  the  temple  to  prevent  the 
abominable  sacrifice ;  and  we  certainly  have  not 
been  killed,  as  Shadrach  would  make  the  people 


. 

THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  259 

believe.  But,  alone  and  unarmed  as  we  were, 
we  should  not  have  been  able  to  do  any  thing 
against  the  misguided  multitude  had  not  God 
himself  helped  us;  and  that  he  has  done  so, 
that  he  slew  the  two  priests  who  had  already 
stretched  out  their  arms  to  grasp  the  innocent 
victims,  is  the  best  proof  that  he  indeed  made 
us  the  instruments  for  saving  the  two  maidens 
from  a  fate  worse  than  death. 

"And  now  Talmai  and  Adah  are  in  security. 
They  are  under  the  protection  of  Gad ;  and  it  is 
in  their  behalf  only  that  I  now  flee  from  the 
wrath  that  has  been  kindled  against  me  in  the 
bosoms  of  Shadrach  and  his  followers.  Fain 
would  I  stay;  fain  would  I  confront  the  accursed 
priests  of  Moloch,  to  prove  the  utter  falsity 
of  their  assertions,  and,  if  still  unable  to  con 
vince  my  poor  misled  countrymen,  gladly  would 
I  perish  a  martyr  for  the  glorious  cause  of  Je 
hovah.  But  two  helpless  and  innocent  maidens 
claim  my  protecting  arm,  and  I  cannot  with 
hold  it. 

"Fare  you  well,  then,  dearest  mother;  and 
be  assured  that  I  shall  not  forget  to  pray  to 
Jehovah  for  the  redemption  of  Israel." 


260  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

He  then  pressed  his  lips  to  those  of  his  parent 
in  one  long  and  fervent  kiss,  and,  hurrying  from 
the  room,  went  into  the  stable,  where  he  soon 
found  his  horse,  saddled  and  bridled  as  he  had 
left  him  some  three  hours  before. 

To  lead  the  faithful  animal  out  and  jump  on 
his  back  was  the  work  of  a  moment;  and, 
galloping  through  the  park  that  surrounded  his 
father's  house,  Omar  soon  found  himself  far  on 
his  way  toward  the  retreat  of  his  fugitive  friends. 

And  well  was  it  that  this  was  so ;  for  scarce 
half  an  hour  had  elapsed  after  the  young  man 
had  left  his  mother's  room,  when  Harim,  accom 
panied  by  the  priests  and  followed  by  several 
hundred  of  the  firmest  adherents  of  Moloch, 
made  his  appearance  in  quest  of  his  son,  whose 
instant  and  unconditional  deliverance  into  his 
hands  Shadrach  had  demanded  soon  after 
Omar  left  the  council-chamber,  and  which  de 
mand,  backed  by  the  majority  of  the  king's 
councillors  and  the  fanatic  people,  Harim  had 
not  had  the  courage  to  oppose.  But  the  villan- 
ous  high-priest  was  again  disappointed.  The 
servants  had  seen  their  young  master  leave  the 
house,  mount  his  horse,  and  ride  off;  but  what 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  261 

direction  he  had  taken,  and  whether  or  when  he 
would  return,  no  one  could  tell. 

Harim  had  hastened  to  his  wife's  room,  to 
see  if  there  he  could  get  better  information  in 
regard  to  the  missing  young  man;  but  on  enter 
ing  the  apartment  he  found  Tamar  lying  on  the 
floor  in  a  high  fever,  with  which  she  had  been 
seized  as  soon  as  her  son  had  left  her,  and  which 
threatened  to  end  fatally.  All  now  became  con 
fusion  and  excitement.  A  physician  was  sent 
for,  and  the  female  servants  of  the  house  were 
summoned  to  the  assistance  of  their  suffering 
mistress;  while  pursuit  of  the  fugitive  was  out 
of  the  question.  The  man  of  medicine  soon 
made  his  appearance;  but  on  seeing  the  sick 
woman  he  ominously  shook  his  head.  There 
was  no  hope,  he  said  :  long-pent-up  anxiety  must 
have  received  a  sudden  and  terrible  shock,  and 
all  the  medicine  in  the  world  could  not  save  the 
sufferer.  This  was  a  sad  blow  to  Harim,  who 
loved  his  wife  dearly;  and  every  thing  was  done 
to  stay  the  progress  of  the  fever.  But  all  to  no 
avail.  Half  an  hour  after  the  doctor's  arrival, 
Tamar  sat  up  in  the  bed,  whither  she  had  been 
carried,  and,  wildly  staring  around  for  some 


262  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

time,  she  began  to  rave  in  the  most  incoherent 
and  fearful  manner.  And  an  hour  afterward 
the  mother  of  Omar  breathed  her  last  in  the 
arms  of  her  husband. 

When  the  death  of  Tamar  became  known  in 
the  city,  there  was  a  general  mourning;  for  every 
body  had  loved  the  modest,  gentle,  and  benevo 
lent  woman,  while  many  there  were  who  owed 
to  her  their  present  prosperity.  Out  of  respect 
to  the  deceased  and  her  husband,  all  business 
was  forthwith  suspended,  and  when,  three  days 
later,  the  corpse  was  borne  to  its  final  resting- 
place,  nearly  all  the  inhabitants  of  New  Babylon 
joined  in  the  sad  procession. 

Omar,  unconscious  of  the  sudden  and  fatal 
illness  that  had  befallen  his  mother,  had  mean 
time  safely  reached  the  cave  where  Gad  and 
the  two  maidens  were  hidden,  and,  after  securing 
his  horse  in  a  place  where  the  animal  was  not 
likely  to  be  discovered,  he  went  to  inform  his 
friends  of  the  result  of  his  observations  in  the 
city.  When  he  entered  the  cavern,  Gad  and 
the  two  girls  were  surprised  to  see  him  come 
back  so  soon ;  but  when  they  beheld  the  sad  ex 
pression  of  the  young  man's  countenance,  their 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  263 

surprise  gave  way  to  anxiety,  and,  surrounding 
their  returned  friend,  they  eagerly  waited  for 
his  communication. 

"  My  dear  friends,"  Omar  said,  after  he  had 
seated  himself  on  a  projecting  rock,  "  be  strong, 
and  put  your  trust  in  the  Almighty.  All  hope 
of  return  to  our  parents  and  friends  is  lost,  and 
we  must  try  to  forget  their  existence."  The 
speaker  then  related  what  he  had  witnessed  in 
the  king's  palace, — the  barefaced  lies  which 
Shadrach  had  told  the  people,  and  how  readily 
the  latter  had  listened  to  and  believed  all  the 
high-priest  said.  "  When  I  had  seen  and  heard 
all  this,"  our  hero  continued,  "  I  could  hold  out 
no  longer,  and,  jumping  up,  I  denounced  every 
word  of  the  old  hypocrite  as  false.  I  told  our 
countrymen  that,  if  assured  of  one  thing,  (I 
meant  your  security,)  I  would  prove  all  I  said. 
But  I  was  interrupted  by  the  fanatic  multitude, 
while  even  my  father,  whom  I  believed  I  had 
persuaded  to  leave  the  ways  of  heathenism, 
turned  against  me,  and  in  stern  words  bade  me 
go  home.  Shadrach  and  his  associates  regarded 
me  with  looks  of  the  deadliest  hatred,  which 
plainly  told  me  that  my  doom  was  sealed  if  I 


264  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

should  fall  in  the  hands  of  those  accursed 
priests;  and  I  am  sure  that  even  now  the  latter 
are  trying  to  encompass  my  ruin. 

"  But,  thanks  to  God,  I  have  eluded  them ;  I 
am  once  more  safe ;  and,  although  I  sincerely 
grieve  for  our  poor  deluded  parents,  I  shall  forget 
that  besides  you  there  exists  a  human  being 
who  has  a  claim  on  my  love  and  affection.  We 
are  exiled  from  the  land  of  our  birth,  and,  trust 
ing  in  Jehovah,  we  must  bear  our  lot.  Here  we 
cannot  remain,  for  our  retreat  might  be  dis 
covered,  in  which  case  our  destruction  would  be 
certain;  and  therefore  the  sooner  we  depart 
hence,  the  better." 

The  young  man  ceased,  while  his  three  friends 
sat  sad  and  silent.  The  ties  that  bound  them 
to  their  home  could  not  be  severed  without  a 
struggle,  and  this  struggle  was  a  hard  one. 

But  all  four  were  endowed  with  the  princi 
ples  of  a  true  religion,  and  this  religion  sus 
tained  them  in  the  hour  of  trial.  Talmai  was 
the  first  to  recover  her  self-possession.  Like  a 
heroine  of  old,  she  arose,  and,  with  her  right 
hand  pointed  heavenward,  she  said, — 

"  Omar  is  right !     We  must  forget  all  earthly 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  265 

-:.. '  '    -• 

ties,  and,  trusting  in  Jehovah,  we  must  bear  our 
lot.  Let  us  then  depart  at  once,  and  henceforth 
only  live  for  each  other." 

The  brave  example  of  the  speaker  did  not 
fail  to  exert  a  favorable  influence  on  the  still 
desponding  Adah  and  Gad,  and  soon  all  the 
friends  had  become  reconciled  to  their  fate. 
Preparations  were  now  made  for  an  immediate 
departure,  and  about  four  hours  after  the  re 
turn  of  Omar  the  fugitives  found  themselves 
once  more  on  the  journey,  accompanied  by 
the  horse  of  the  former,  loaded  with  the  effects 
of  the  wanderers.  Our  little  party  now  hastened 
on  toward  the  setting  sun,  in  a  direction  op 
posite  to  that  of  New  Babylon;  and  after  a 
severe  and  toilsome  march  of  three  days  they 
reached  the  borders  of  the  stream  which  divided 
the  island  from  the  continent  of  America.  Well 
aware  that  the  inhabitants  of  New  Babylon 
would  not  venture  so  far  from  their  city,  Omar 
proposed  to  stop  here,  at  least  until  some  future 

i  events  should  make  a  removal  necessary;  and 
then  the  speaker  immediately  went  to  explore 
the  neighborhood.  At  the  distance  of  about  a 

i  quarter  of  a  mile  from  where    he  had  left  his 


I 


266  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

friends,  the  young  man  came  to  a  lovely  spot, 
surrounded  on  three  sides  by  a  thick,  almost 
impenetrable,  wood,  while  in  front  glittered  the 
clear  waters  of  the  afore-mentioned  stream. 
Game  and  fruit  existed  here  in  even  greater 
abundance  than  in  the  other  parts  of  the  island ; 
while,  on  closer  inspection,  the  lover  of  Talmai 
detected  in  the  background,  almost  completely 
hidden  by  trees  and  underbrush,  a  cave,  which 
seemed  to  be  made  expressly  for  a  dwelling-place 
of  human  beings. 

Full  of  gladness,  and  silently  thanking  Jeho 
vah  for  the  happy  discovery,  Omar  hurried  back 
to  inform  his  friends  of  this  fortunate  circum 
stance;  and  in  a  little  while  the  now  happy 
quartet  were  snugly  and  comfortably  established 
in  their  new  quarters.  Here  they  led  a  pleasant 
and  peaceful  life,  the  two  young  men  doing  all 
in  their  power  to  render  the  existence  of  the  two 
maidens  happy  and  joyous,  while  the  affection 
of  the  latter  for  their  noble  lovers  and  preservers 
grew  from  day  to  day  stronger.  And  thus  we 
shall  leave  them  for  some  time,  while  we  pay  a 
last  visit  to  the  city  of  New  Babylon. 

As  soon  as  the  remains  of  Tamar  had  been 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE  RED  MEN.  267 

deposited  in  their  last  resting-place,  the  search 
for  Omar  and  his  friend  Gad,  whose  disappear 
ance  had  also  been  discovered  in  the  mean  time, 
was  renewed,  as  now  the  priests  no  longer 
doubted  that  the  two  young  men  were  in  reality 
no  strangers  to  the  occurrence  that  for  a  time 
had  startled  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  and 
which  even  had  endangered  the  influence  and 
power  of  Shadrach  and  his  companions.  But 
nothing  could  be  discovered.  The  high-priest 
had  sent  a  party  of  his  firmest  friends  and  adhe 
rents  out  of  the  city  to  scour  the  country  for 
miles  around ;  yet  they  also  failed  in  finding  any 
traces  of  the  missing. 

The  cowardly  priests  became  alarmed;  yet 
they  had  done  all  they  could,  and  therefore  they 
had  to  let  matters  rest  as  they  were.  And  now 
other  affairs  claimed  their  attention.  The  prin 
cipal  object  of  their  life — which  they  had  felt 
sure  of  when  Talmai  and  Adah  were  so  near  the 
terrible  fate  which  had  been  assigned  them,  but 
which  had  been  frustrated  by  the  interposition 
of  Divine  Providence  and  his  instruments  Omar 
and  Gad — now  again  became  their  ruling  pas 
sion.  But  how  to  gain  this  object  had  be- 


268  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

come  an  almost  unanswerable  question,  and  the 
priests  began  to  despair  of  its  accomplishment, 
when,  at  last,  the  two  villains  who  had  been 
chosen  as  successors  of  the  slain  members  of  the 
fraternity  proposed  a  speedy  and  satisfactory 
settlement  of  the  affair.  "It  would  be  danger 
ous,"  the  elder  of  the  two  said,  "  to  demand  a 
new  sacrifice,  as  we  have  scarcely  succeeded  in 
making  the  people  believe  that  Moloch  has  in 
deed  come  into  possession  of  the  last  victims; 
and  all  we  can  do  now  is  to  startle  the  in 
habitants  into  the  most  abject  submission  by 
some  bold  and  seemingly  supernatural  contri 
vance.  My  companion  and  myself  have  taken 
this  thing  into  due  consideration,  and,  if  you 
will  give  us  time  and  not  refuse  us  such  co-ope 
ration  as  we  may  require  at  your  hands,  we  will 
be  able  to  accomplish  our  common  object."  The 
speaker  then  went  on  to  unfold  the  plan  of  him 
self  and  friend, — which  was  nothing  less  than  to 
personify  Moloch  himself  and  his  first  attendant. 
By  means  of  wooden  legs  fastened  to  the  soles 
of  their  feet,  they  would  raise  themselves  to  a 
supernatural  height;  while  they  were  to  bend 
the  bark  of  some  ancient  tree  into  such  a  shape 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED  MEN.  269 

as  to  serve  the  place  of  a  head  in  conformity 
with  the  size  of  the  body.     These   structures 
were  to  be  drawn   over   their  own   heads  and 
shoulders,  and  fastened  around  the  waist  so  as 
to  allow  room  for  the  arms  while  manipulating 
with  brimstone  and  other  combustible  materials, 
all  of  which  were  to  be  ignited  and  at  intervals 
thrown  through  the  holes  which  had  been  cut  in 
place  of  mouth,  nostrils,  and  eyes.     The  whole 
was  to  be  covered  with  the  skins  of  animals,  and 
suitably  adorned  with   horns   and   such   other 
articles  as  would  give  them  the  most  terrible  and 
unearthly  appearance.    Then  they  were  to  await 
a  dark  and  stormy  night, — when  the  two  rascals 
would  put  on  the  disguise  just  described  and 
sally  forth  into  the  streets  of  the  city,  indicating 
their  presence  by  shouts  and  other  vocal  noises, 
which,  in  consequence  of  the  great  hollowness 
of  the  bark  structure,  would  assume  the  most 
unearthly  sound.     On  hearing  these  signals,  the 
priests  were  to  come  forward  in  a  body,  and  at 
sight  of  the  seemingly  supernatural  visitors  the 
high-priest  and  his  companions  were  to  prostrate 
themselves  on  the  ground,  as  befitting  them  in 
the  august  presence  of  their  mighty  and  won- 


23* 


270  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

derful  god.  "I  then  shall  command  you  to 
arise/'  the  plotter  concluded ;  "  after  which  you 
must  introduce  us  to  the  people,  leaving  the  rest 
to  ourselves ;  and,  if  we  do  not  manage  the  affair 
to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  every  member  of  our 
fraternity,  then  you  may  set  us  down  as  boasting 
fools,  and  do  with  us  as  you  list." 

The  assembled  priests  fairly  trembled  with 
delight  when  the  plan  had  been  unfolded ;  for  it 
promised  the  most  complete  success ;  and  they 
already  fancied  themselves  in  possession  of  all 
they  desired,  as  a  public  visit  of  their  great  god 
himself  would  be  certain  to  dispel  all  doubts 
that  might  possibly  linger  in  the  minds  of  the 
inhabitants. 

And  now  they  all  went  to  work  to  procure 
the  desired  disguises.  Among  the  brethren  there 
were  some  skilled  mechanics ;  and,  as  they  were 
well  provided  with  all  necessary  tools,  the  wooden 
legs  were  soon  made ;  and  then  some  of  the  rest 
went  to  gather  bark,  skins,  and  such  other  arti 
cles  as  were  required.  Twelve  days  after  the 
plan  had  been  proposed,  all  was  ready.  And 
now  the  priests  impatiently  awaited  the  first 
dark  and  stormy  night,  to  try  the  experiment. 


THE   FIRST  OF  THE   RED  MEN.  271 

At  length,  three  days  later,  the  sky  became  over 
cast,  dark  and  heavy  clouds  obscured  the  light 
of  the  sun,  and  at  the  seventh  hour  after  noon 
an  Egyptian  darkness  had  settled  over  the  city  of 
New  Babylon.  All  the  streets  were  deserted, — 
the  inhabitants  having  retired  into  their  houses, 
where,  in  the  midst  of  their  families,  they  had 
found  a  secure  shelter  from  the  storm  that  was 
raging  without. 

But  scarcely  had  they  begun  to  enjoy  that 
comfort  and  luxury  which  one  is  always  sure  to 
feel  under  these  circumstances,  when  they  were 
startled  by  a  succession  of  the  most  terrific 
and  unearthly  sounds,  which  seemed  to  proceed 
from  the  clouds  that  overhung  the  city.  The 
terror-stricken  women  and  children  crouched 
timidly  together,  like  so  many  frightened  sheep ; 
while  the  "lords  of  creation"  stood  riveted  to 
the  ground,  not  daring  to  cross  the  threshold  of 
their  houses.  But  the  sounds  drew  nearer, 
until  they  grew  so  terrible  that  the  end  of  time 
seemed  approaching ;  while  in  the  midst  of  this 
noise  some  human  voices  became  audible,  which 
seemed  to  be  imploring  mercy.  And  now  some 
of  the  more  courageous  men  of  New  Babylon 


272  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

took  heart  and  went  out  into  the  street.  But 
the  sight  that  met  their  eyes  was  well  calculated 
to  fill  them  with  terror.  Two  gigantic  forms, 
with  heads  of  monstrous  dimensions,  and  covered 
with  jet-black  hair,  strode  along,  their  mouths, 
nostrils,  and  eyes  emitting  constant  streams  of 
fire  and  smoke,  while  the  seemingly  awe-stricken 
priests  of  Moloch  went  before  them,  alternately 
prostrating  themselves  and  imploring  their  for 
bearance  and  mercy  in  the  most  abject  and 
piteous  tones.  The  voices  of  the  two  monsters 
now  became  somewhat  less  terrible ;  and  thus 
the  grotesque  procession  moved  on,  through  all 
the  streets  of  the  city,  to  the  king's  palace,  where 
Nahum,  surrounded  by  his  frightened  officers 
and  councillors, — who  had  hastened  thither  when 
they  first  heard  the  approaching  sounds, — stood 
trembling  with  fear  and  apprehension.  By  this 
time  the  people  had  somewhat  recovered  from 
the  first  shock,  and  now  they  were  hurrying  to 
the  scene  of  commotion,  wondering  what  it  all 
meant;  and  when  the  supernatural  visitors 
reached  the  royal  residence  they  had  been  joined 
by  nearly  all  the  inhabitants. 

And  now  the   priests   once  more   prostrated 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  273 

themselves  before  the  monsters,  when  the  taller 
of  the  latter,  whose  head  was  adorned  with  two 
monstrous  horns,  said,  in  a  hollow  and  terrible 
voice, — 

"  Arise,  and  do  as  thou  art  bidden !" 

Shadrach  and  his  attendants  arose,  and,  turn 
ing  to  the  king  and  the  assembled  multitude,  the 
high-priest  said, — 

"  Mighty  and  gracious  king  and  countrymen, 
in  these  our  esteemed  visitors  you  behold  our 
great  and  all-powerful  god  Moloch,  who,  in  his 
infinite  goodness  and  condescension,  has  deigned 
to  visit  us,  his  unworthy  subjects,  in  company 
with  Tartak,  the  chief  of  his  hosts. 

"  When,  about  an  hour  ago,  we  were  in  the 
temple,  engaged  with  our  solemn  duties,  a  heavy 
storm  arose,  and,  borne  on  the  wings  of  light 
ning,  the  two  heavenly  beings  appeared  among 
us.  Our  divine  master  came  in  his  wrath :  he 
accused  us  of  infidelity,  and  threatened  to  sweep 
us  off  the  face  of  the  earth,  as  we  had  become 
heedless  of  his  wishes  and  pleasure. 

"'Five  years  have  elapsed/  he  cried,  'and 
my  nostrils  had  almost  forgotten  the  smell  of 
your  sacrifice,  when,  as  if  in  mockery,  two  feeble 


274  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

maidens  were  deemed  sufficient  to  atone  for  your 
sinful  negligence. 

"'Yet  I  took  the  virgins  to  my  bosom;  but 
they  were  a  drop  of  water  in  the  fiery  furnace. 
My  parched  lips  long  for  the  blood  of  the  guilt 
less  :  my  distended  nostrils  want  the  smell  of  the 
sacrifice.  I  have  pitied  you,  I  have  helped  you, 
I  have  made  you  a  great  and  happy  people;  and 
what  has  been  your  gratitude  ? 

"'Verily,  I  will  forbear  no  longer;  and  ere  to 
morrow's  sun  has  performed  the  half  of  his  daily 
journey  I  will  send  my  angels  to  sweep  you  out 
of  existence!' 

"  We  stood  spell-bound  and  terror-stricken.  We 
had  all  along  feared  that  the  terrible  Moloch 
would  be  dissatisfied ;  but  we  had  done  all  in  our 
power  to  make  proper  atonement,  and  so  we  had 
begun  to  hope  that  our  good  will  would  hide  the 
insignificance  of  our  gift.  And  now  we  stood 
trembling  before  our  lord;  we  prostrated  our 
selves  into  the  dust,  and  implored  his  mercy  and 
forbearance.  But  he  did  not  listen;  and,  raising 
his  voice  like  unto  the  roaring  of  his  thunder, 
he  rushed  out  into  the  streets  of  our  city.  We 
followed  him,  and,  prostrating  ourselves  again 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  275 

and  again,  we  renewed  our  prayers  for  mercy, 
until  at  last  we  were  heard.  Our  mighty  god 
assured  us  of  his  mercy  and  forbearance  if  we 
would  make  good  what  we  had  neglected.  '  And/ 
he  concluded,  'to  show  you  that  I  indeed  am 
lenient  and  forbearing,  I  solemnly  declare  that  I 
will  be  content  with  a  single  sacrifice  for  every 
one  of  the  elapsed  five  years.  Two  of  your 
virgins  you  have  given  me :  to-morrow  let  the 
remaining  three  follow.  And  now,  come,  intro 
duce  us  to  the  people;  tell  them  what  I  have 
said;  and,  if  they  are  ready  to  obey  my  com 
mands,  I  will  not  withdraw  my  protecting 
hand."' 

Shadrach  ceased;  and  then  the  mouths  and 
nostrils  of  the  two  monsters  again  emitted 
streams  of  smoke  and  fire,  while  he  that  personi 
fied  the  great  Moloch  came  forward,  and  cried, 
in  tones  of  thunder, — 

"Insignificant  and  miserable  wretches!  ye 
who  have  dared  to  kindle  my  divine  wrath, 
now  ye  have  heard  what  my  servant  has  said; 
and  woe  unto  you  if  my  anger  be  not  appeased! 
Choose  between  obeying  my  mighty  will  and 
instant  destruction ;  for  if  to-morrow's  sun  does 


276  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

not  witness  the  sacrifice  of  three  of  your  purest 
virgins,  your  doom  is  irrevocably  sealed !" 

Another  stream  of  smoke  and  fire  indicated 
that  the  great  Moloch's  speech  was  ended;  and 
the  people  of  New  Babylon  stood  spell-bound 
and  awe-stricken. 

The  terrible  Moloch  was  no  longer  an  uncer 
tainty  :  there  he  stood  before  them,  and  out  of 
his  own  mouth  they  had  heard  what  they  might 
expect  if  his  divine  will  was  disregarded.  All 
were  silent:  naught  was  heard  save  the  hard 
breathing  of  the  multitude;  and  already  the 
two  monsters  began  to  show  signs  of  impatience 
at  the  delay, — when  at  last,  admonished  by  the 
high-priest,  Nahum  came  forward,  and  said,  in  a 
terrified  and  unsteady  voice, — 

"Men  of  New  Babylon,  ye  have  heard  the 
words  of  our  great  and  mighty  god  !  It  is  better 
that  three  of  our  maidens  perish  than  that  we 
all  be  swept  from  the  face  of  the  earth !  Let 
our  priests  select  those  whom  they  deem  worthy 
to  be  sacrificed;  and  you  I  command  to  appear, 
at  sunrise  to-morrow,  at  the  doors  of  the  temple, 
to  participate  in  the  great  procession." 

More  the  king  could  not  say;  while  the  mighty 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  277 

shouts  of  the  people  indicated  that  they  con 
curred  in  the  views  of  their  ruler. 

And  now  the  supernatural  visitors  gave  vent 
to  their  joyful  feelings  in  one  exultant  shout, 
that  rang  far  and  wide  through  the  deserted 
streets  of  the  city;  and  then,  followed  by  the 
priests,  they  went  back  to  the  temple,  while  the 
people  dispersed  to  seek  their  homes  and  talk 
over  the  affairs  of  the  evening.  The  object  of 
Shadrach  and  his  companions  was  accomplished ; 
and,  when  they  had  reached  the  interior  of  the 
temple,  the  doors  were  securely  locked,  the  two 
monsters  threw  off  their  disguises,  and  all  de 
scended  into  the  basement,  to  indulge  in  a  bac 
chanalian  feast  in  anticipation  of  the  joys  the 
morrow  had  in  store  for  them. 

The  day  at  length  dawned,  and  dark  and 
gloomy  enough  was  the  aspect:  yet  prepara 
tions  for  the  great  feast  were  at  once  made ;  and 
at  the  seventh  hour  of  the  morning  the  city  was 
again  decked  out  in  all  the  pomp  that  had  been 
observed  on  the  occasion  of  the  late  grand  pro 
cession.  The  air  was  uncommonly  sultry  and 
oppressive  ;  a  heavy  mist  obscured  the  light  of 
the  sun;  while  an  undefinable,  yet  strongly  per- 


278  THE   LOST  TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

ceptible,  something,  that  boded  no  good,  pervaded 
the  atmosphere. 

The  volcano  mentioned  at  the  commencement 
of  the  ninth  chapter,  which  was  situated  south 
ward  and  not  over  a  stone's  throw  from  New 
Babylon,  and  which  had  been  dormant  probably 
for  centuries,  had  a  few  days  since  begun  to 
emit  smoke,  and  occasionally  some  small  streams 
of  lava;  and  it  seemed  as  if  some  mighty  revo 
lution  were  preparing  in  its  bowels.  But  all 
this  was  unheeded  by  the  priests,  whose  thoughts 
were  occupied  by  the  one  great  object  of  their 
hypocritical  life;  while  the  inhabitants  could 
think  of  nothing  else  but  how  they  might  be 
able  to  appease  the  wrath  of  the  terrible  Mo 
loch.  And  now  the  doors  of  the  temple  were 
again  thrown  open,  the  priests  of  Moloch  again 
emerged,  clad  in  their  gorgeous  robes  of  office, 
and  the  great  procession  was  formed  in  the  same 
order  as  had  been  observed  some  three  weeks 
previous. 

This  time  the  ceremonial  mockeries  were 
greatly  shortened,  as  Shadrach  and  his  con 
federates  were  anxious  to  grasp  their  victims; 
and  two  hours  before  noon  the  circuit  had  been 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  279 

made  and  the  procession  returned  to  the  tem 
ple.  The  people  at  once  took  their  places,  the 
priests  went  up  to  the  altar  of  the  idol,  and  then 
the  wagon  that  contained  the  four  virgins,  three 
of  whom  were  to  be  sacrificed,  was  opened,  and 
the  trembling  occupants  were  forced  to  alight. 
With  tottering  steps  and  colorless  cheeks,  Re- 
bekah,  Dinah,  Keturah,  and  Zilpah  were  con 
ducted  to  where  the  licentious  priests  had  formed 
a  semicircle,  to  meet  their  terrible  doom.  The 
farce  of  a  lottery  was  again  resorted  to;  and, 
while  the  two  youngest  members  of  the  frater 
nity  were  blindfolded,  Shadrach  arranged  the 
urns.  When  all  was  ready,  the  blinded  priests 
came  forward  and  solemnly  stretched  out  their 
arms  to  draw  the  first  lot. 

Sullen  and  silent,  the  assembled  multitude 
looked  on;  and  when  the  bean,  that  happened  to 
be  the  only  white  one  in  the  urn,  glittered  in 
the  hand  of  one  of  the  drawers,  while  the  parch 
ment  between  the  fingers  of  the  other  was 
handed  to  the  high-priest,  slowly  unrolled,  and 
the  name  of  Eebekah,  who  thus  became  free, 
once  more  pronounced,  no  answering  shout  be 
came  audible.  The  liberated  maiden  fell  lifeless 


280  THE  LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

to  the  floor  when  her  name  was  pronounced; 
but  not  one  exclamation  of  joy  at  her  escape  from 
the  terrible  doom  was  heard,  while  her  com 
panions  sat,  pale  as  death,  erect  and  motionless. 

And  now  the  priests  rushed  madly  forward. 
Their  passion  so  long  frustrated  had  reached  the 
highest  degree :  all  other  considerations  were 
set  aside ;  and,  forgetting  all  decorum,  all  dictates 
of  prudence,  each  of  the  villanous  libertines 
strove  to  be  the  first  to  grasp  his  shrinking  vic 
tim.  The  assembled  people  were  thunderstruck, 
as  they  began  to  see  why  really  the  sacrifice 
had  so  eagerly  been  demanded;  for  the  rascally 
priests,  blinded  by  their  passion,  had  thrown  off 
the  masks  they  had  so  long  and  so  successfully 
worn,  and  now  stood  revealed  in  all  the  hide- 
ousness  of  the  impassioned  libertine. 

But  suddenly  an  exclamation  of  horror  filled 
the  temple.  The  doomed  maidens  had  been 
reached;  forty  rude  hands  were  stretched  out 
simultaneously  to  divest  the  victims  of  their 
garments,  and  the  first  touch  polluted  the  per 
sons  of  the  virgins.  Yet,  strange  to  say,  the 
poor  girls  did  not  shrink;  they  did  not  even  try 
to  avoid  the  indelicate  touches;  and,  when  they 


THE   FIRST   OF  THE   RED   MEN.  281 

were  more  forcibly  repeated,  the  three  maidens 
sunk  down,  never  more  to  rise,  by  the  side  of 
Kebekah,  whose  soul  had  also  departed  for  the 
realms  of  everlasting  bliss. 

Thus  Jehovah  had  taken  away  his  faithful 
children  pure  in  soul  and  body.  He  had  taken 
them  away  to  spare  them  the  terror  of  witness 
ing  what  was  to  follow. 

When  the  priests  were  assured  that  their 
victims  were  dead,  a  simultaneous  exclamation 
of  horror  escaped  their  lips,  and  then  they 
looked  up,  to  observe  the  effect  of  this  strange 
occurrence  on  the  assembled  multitude.  But 
their  bewildered  gaze  was  met  by  a  sight  so  ter 
rible  that  it  froze  the  blood  in  their  veins. 

The  sky  had  suddenly  grown  dark  as  Erebus, 
while  the  temple  was  illuminated  by  a  large 
fiery  column,  that  reached  high  up  into  the 
clouds  and  which  slowly  and  threateningly 
came  nearer  and  nearer.  . 

The  people,  too,  had  witnessed  the  awful 
spectacle;  and  now  they  turned,  and,  in  wild 
flight,  sought  the  doors  of  the  temple.  But 
Shadrach  had  locked  all  the  portals  as  soon  as 
the  participants  in  the  procession  had  been 

24* 


282  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

inside,  to  guard  against  all  possible  intrusion 
and  recurring  interruption,  and  had  secured  the 
keys  about  his  person,  thus  cutting  off  all  means 
of  escape. 

Loud  and  deep  were  the  execrations  and 
curses  hurled  at  the  old  villain's  head,  and  at 
last  the  word  was  given  to  pass  him  along  over 
the  heads  of  the  multitude.  Accordingly,  the 
old  hypocrite  was  raised  up  and  started  on  his 
aerial  voyage. 

But  he  never  reached  his  destination.  Be 
fore  the  first  half  of  the  journey  was  performed, 
a  dreadful  crash  was  heard,  and  the  earth  was 
shaken  to  its  very  foundation.  For  one  moment 
the  walls,  pillars,  and  ceiling  of  the  temple  tot 
tered  in  their  places,  and  then  they  came  down 
with  a  roaring  noise,  burying  the  inmates  be 
neath  the  ruins. 

Most  of  the  people  were  killed  by  the  falling 
pieces,  but  the  high-priest  and  his  companions 
were  uninjured;  and  they  already  congratulated 
themselves  on  their  fortunate  escape, — when  they 
all  at  once  felt  the  air  grow  hot  and  oppressive, 
and,  a  minute  later,  a  fiery  stream  entered  the 
place  where  they  stood.  Five  minutes  after,  the 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  283 

twenty  priests  of  Moloch  were  a  heap  of  charred 
bones  and  ashes.  The  volcano  was  at  work 
in  earnest.  Stream  on  stream  of  hot  burning 
lava  rolled  down  its  sides;  and,  in  almost  less 
time  than  it  takes  to  describe  the  occurrence, 
the  entire  city  of  New  Babylon  was  buried  be 
neath  the  scorching  ashes,  not  one  of  the  inha 
bitants  escaping  destruction. 

But  this  was  not  all.  The  subterranean  fires 
had  now  become  thoroughly  kindled,  and  their 
narrow  bed  could  contain  them  no  longer.  The 
volcano  had  already  disappeared,  leaving  in  its 
stead  a  yawning  abyss.  Yet  even  this  was  not 
sufficient;  and,  as  a  consequence,  the  entire 
island  began  to  tremble.  Shock  followed  shock, 
until  at  length  the  earth  was  torn  asunder,  and 
the  fires  were  extinguished  by  the  waves,  that 
madly  dashed  into  the  apertures.  Where,  scarcely 
three  hours  before,  the  city  of  New  Babylon  had 
reared  her  proud  walls,  there  was  now  a  wide 
expanse  of  water;  while  other  large  portions  of 
the  land  had  been  swallowed  by  the  roaring  sea. 
And  thus  the  first  city  that  ever  was  built  in 
the  Western  hemisphere  was  destroyed,  scarcely 
twenty-five  years  after  its  construction;  thus 


284  THE  LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

were  formed  that  cluster  of  islands  now  known 
as  the  Bahamas,  which  once  had  been  one  solid 
country,  divided  from  the  continent  of  America 
only  by  a  small  stream  about  fifty  feet  in 
width. 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  285 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

OMAR   AND   HIS  FRIENDS. 

WE  left  the  fugitive  Omar  and  his  three 
friends  in  a  cave  on  the  banks  of  the  stream 
which  divided  the  island  of  New  Canaan  from 
the  continent  of  America, — where  they  led  a 
happy  and  peaceful  life.  Fruit  and  game,  as 
we  have  seen,  abounded  in  the  vicinity  of  their 
new  abode ;  and  thus  they  were  provided  with  all 
the  necessaries  of  life;  and,  trusting  in  Jehovah, 
who  had  helped  them  so  wonderfully  thus  far, 
they  lived  on,  troubling  themselves  little  about 
the  future.  It  was  now  three  weeks  since  they 
had  left  the  neighborhood  of  New  Babylon,  and 
all  fear  of  being  found  out  by  their  late  fellow- 
citizens  had  left  the  exiles.  This  day  had  been 
set  apart  for  a  somewhat  extended  hunting-ex 
pedition,  in  order  that  they  might  explore  a 
greater  portion  of  country ;  and  the  two  maidens 
were  to  accompany  their  lovers.  But  the  morn 
ing  proved  so  dark  and  gloomy  that  our  friends 


286  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

resolved  to  postpone  the  exploration,  and  ac 
cordingly  they  remained  in  their  cavern,  passing 
away  the  time  as  best  they  could.  Near  the 
hour  of  noon  the  sky  became  as  dark  as  night; 
and  shortly  afterward  the  first  shock  of  an 
earthquake  shook  the  foundations  of  the  cave. 
Greatly  frightened,  Omar,  Gad,  and  the  two  girls 
left  their  rocky  chamber,  and  near  the  margin 
of  the  afore-mentioned  stream  they  sank  on 
their  knees,  to  pray  to  God  for  protection.  But 
the  earthquake  did  not  abate:  shock  now  fol 
lowed  shock,  and  the  earth  shook  and  trem 
bled  like  a  vessel  on  the  bosom  of  the  storm- 
ridden  ocean.  The  friends  were  paralyzed  with 
terror,  and  fear  had  almost  bereft  them  of  con 
sciousness.  They  had  grasped  each  others' 
hands,  as  for  mutual  protection ;  and  in  mute 
despair  they  awaited  the  end.  Suddenly  the 
ground  beneath  them  gave  way  :  it  sank  deeper 
and  deeper ;  while  the  waters  of  the  now  furious 
stream  seemed  to  rise,  as  if  to  swallow  the  de 
voted  fugitives. 

At  last  they  were  afloat;  while,  as  far  as  their 
eyes  could  reach,  the  land  had  entirely  disap 
peared.  But,  with  the  strength  of  despair,  the 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN.  287 

swimmers  had  retained  their  hold  of  each  other; 
and  now,  while  their  destruction  seemed  beyond 
all  doubt,  a  huge  wave  took  them  up  and  carried 
them  straight  to  the  continent  of  America, 
where,  rapidly  receding,  it  left  the  nearly-life 
less  forms  high  and  dry  on  the  land.  And  now 
the  storm  had  spent  its  fury ;  the  subterranean 
fires  had  found  a  new  bed  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean,  and  all  was  tranquil. 

•J-  <?  *2*  ^  *i* 

sjc  yp  Sf;  SF  :jt 

Night  had  set  in,  beautiful  and  serene,  and 
the  four  friends  lay  senseless  at  the  foot  of  one 
of  the  patriarchs  of  the  forest.  The  sun  arose 
bright  and  glorious,  and  his  genial  rays  ani 
mated  and  warmed  awakening  nature.  But 
still  the  sleepers  did  not  awake.  The  fiery  god 
of  day  performed  his  grand  journey,  and  the 
shadows  of  night  again  fell  upon  the  earth. 
Yet  all  remained  quiet;  not  a  sign  of  returning 
consciousness  became  perceptible  beneath  the 
protecting  branches  of  that  ancient  tree.  And 
again  Aurora  gilded  the  eastern  horizon,  again 
old  Sol  emerged  from  his  watery  bed  and  majes 
tically  went  on  his  solitary  way,  when  at  length, 
near  the  hour  of  noon,  our  four  wanderers 


288  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

opened  their  eyes.  They  sat  up  and  gazed 
wonderingly  around. 

Consciousness  had  returned :  yet  it  took  some 
time  ere  the  friends  could  command  their  scat 
tered  senses. 

The  sudden  shock  they  had  received  when 
they  felt  the  earth  sink  beneath  them  and  they 
found  themselves  in  the  midst  of  roaring  waves 
had  almost  been  too  much  for  them,  and  the 
recollection  of  their  former  life  had  in  a  great 
measure  been  dimmed. 

Like  some  vague  and  undefined  dream,  the 
scenes  they  had  so  lately  passed  through  lay 
behind  them ;  and,  although  the  recollection  of 
their  former  existence  had  not  been  wholly  ex 
tinguished,  yet  the  circumstances  preceding  the 
earthquake,  and  their  own  somewhat  forcible 
removal  to  the  continent  of  America,  appeared 
so  remote  and  indistinct  that  my  readers  need 
not  wonder  if  I  inform  them  that  the  first  in 
habitants  of  our  country  soon  forgot  the  inci 
dents  of  their  previous  life,  and  that,  in  the  cares 
and  excitement  of  their  new  career,  all  that 
preceded  their  miraculous  escape  became  a  com 
plete  blank  to  them.  Fortunately,  however, 


THE   FIRST   OF    THE    RED   MEN.  289 

the  reason  of  our  friends  had  not  been  impaired; 
and  so  they  were  still  able,  to  enjoy  the  new 
life  now  before  them. 

Great  were  their  rejoicings  after  consciousness 
had  been  fully  restored,  and  when  they  found 
that  none  of  their  number  were  missing  and 
that  all  had  remained  uninjured.  Tears  of  joy 
dimmed  the  lustre  of  the  beautiful  eyes  of  the 
two  girls  when  they  saw  their  beloved  friends 
and  protectors  still  beside  them,  in  all  the  pride 
and  vigor  of  glorious  manhood;  while  the  souls 
of  the  young  men  were  filled  with  pleasant 
emotions  on  beholding  the  ripening  womanly 
charms  of  their  fair  companions. 

Then  the  gaze  of  the  young  people  fell  on  the 
surrounding  landscape;  and  although  this  was 
altogether  new  and  strange  to  them,  yet  they 
all  felt  that  security  one  is  so  apt  to  experience 
in  the  presence  of  one  beloved  and  respected. 
The  appearance  of  the  new  country,  too,  was 
well  calculated  to  inspire  and  to  strengthen  a 
feeling  of  security.  The  place  where  our  wan 
derers  sat  was  an  open  glade,  here  and  there 
interspersed  with  some  mighty  patriarch  of  the 
forest.  In  front,  and  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach, 

T  25 


290  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

spread  the  blue  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  while 
in  the  rear  the  view  was  bounded  by  a  seem 
ingly  boundless  expanse  of  blooming  and  fruit- 
laden  trees. 

And  now  nature  began  to  demand  her  rights. 
The  cravings  of  hunger  made  themselves  felt, 
and  our  wanderers  looked  wistfully  around  in 
search  of  something  wherewith  to  strengthen 
the  inner  man.  Near  the  place  where  they 
had  been  deposited  by  the  receding  waves  grew 
some  bushes,  loaded  with  dark-hued  and  poison 
ous  berries;  and,  with  the  eagerness  of  children, 
they  fell  upon  and  devoured  the  deadly  fruit 
until  their  hunger  was  appeased.  Then  they 
went  to  a  neighboring  spring  and  refreshed 
themselves  with  copious  draughts  of  pure  water ; 
and,  as  by  this  time  night  had  set  in  again,  they 
again  lay  down  to  sleep.  Soon  the  poison  began 
to  do  its  work.  Like  fire  it  coursed  through  the 
veins  of  the  pain-stricken  friends;  and  it  would 
certainly  have  killed  them,  had  not  their  youth 
and  vigorous  constitution,  but,  above  all,  the 
great  quantity  of  water  they  had  drunk,  and 
which,  fortunately,  happened  to  be  powerfully 
mineral,  acted  as  so  many  antidotes.  Yet,  as  it 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  291 

was,  the  pains  of  the  poor  sufferers  were  almost 
unendurable,  and  not  before  the  lapse  of  forty- 
eight  hours,  in  which  the  most  excruciating 
tortures  alternated  with  short  snatches  of  slum 
ber,  was  the  danger  past. 

When  the  adventurers  arose  at  last,  worn  out 
and  feeble,  they  were  greatly  surprised  at  be 
holding  the  change  in  their  appearance.  Their 
skins,  before  so  delicate  and  fair,  had  become 
dry  and  hardened;  while  their  former  bright 
color  had  been  changed  to  the  dark  hue  of  un 
refined  copper.  The  cut  of  their  features  had 
remained  the  same :  only  the  blood  seemed  to 
have  been  affected.  But  this  must  have  under 
gone  a  great  alteration :  it  must  in  some  measure 
have  been  burned  by  coming  in  contact  with  the 
poison,  and  its  consequently  darker  color  must 
have  penetrated  to  the  surface  and  imparted 
to  the  skin  its  now  coppery  hue.  Certain  it  is 
that  this  hue  was  permanent:  no  amount  of 
washing  or  rubbing  could  efface  it;  while  the 
poison  must  have  eaten  deep  into  the  system 
of  the  fugitives, — as  even  their  offspring  have 
since  become  distinguished  for  their  dark-red 
color  to  this  day. 


292  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

But  we  return  to  our  four  friends.  They  had 
been  surprised,  and  somewhat  shocked,  when 
they  first  beheld  the  change  in  their  appearance ; 
but,  like  children,  they  did  not  trouble  them 
selves  much  about  this,  and  soon  they  forgot 
that  they  had  ever  had  another  color.  Omar 
was  the  tallest  and  stoutest  of  the  company; 
and,  led  by  common  instinct,  his  companions 
made  him  their  leader,  telling  him  that  they 
were  ready  and  willing  to  follow  him  wherever 
he  might  go. 

Hunger  now  again  made  itself  felt,  and,  as 
the  wanderers  had  no  desire  to  return  to  the 
berries  which  had  caused  them  so  much  pain, 
the  new-made  leader  led  his  followers  farther 
on  into  the  wilderness.  Ere  long  the  eyes  of  the 
party  were  gladdened  by  the  sight  of  some  fruit- 
laden  trees,  and  they  resolved  to  try  the  new 
food.  But  they  now  ate  cautiously  and  spar 
ingly,  and  only  when  they  had  found,  after  a  fair 
trial,  that  this  time  no  evil  consequences  need  be 
feared,  they  indulged  in  a  hearty  meal.  When 
the  demands  of  nature  had  been  satisfied,  the 
adventurers  held  an  earnest  conference,  and,  after 
due  deliberation,  they  concluded  to  stay  where 


THE   FIRST   OF    THE    RED   MEN.  293 

they  were,  at  least  so  long  as  the  fruit  which 
grew  in  the  vicinity  should  last. 

With  his  inborn  instinct,  Omar  now  looked 
about  him  for  a  place  of  shelter,  where  himself 
and  followers  might  be  protected  from  the  burn 
ing  rays  of  the  sun  and  all  outside  dangers ;  and, 
to  his  great  satisfaction,  he  found,  while  he  was 
going  around  a  huge  old  tree,  that  the  enormous 
trunk  was  hollow,  while  its  interior  was  easily 
accessible  by  means  of  a  large  opening  on  one 
side.  Fearlessly  the  young  man  crept  in,  and 
found  himself  in  a  cool  and  dry  chamber  about 
ten  feet  in  diameter.  By  the  light  of  day  which 
streamed  in  through  the  opening,  our  hero  soon 
saw  that  the  room  was  free  from  all  obstacles 
and  perfectly  habitable, — after  which  he  went 
out  to  acquaint  his  companions  with  the  happy 
discovery. 

"When  all  had  seen  the  place,  they  were  de 
lighted,  and  they  forthwith  concluded  to  make  it 
their  future  abode.  Then  they  set  to  work  to 
make  their  new  residence  as  comfortable  as  they 
could,  and,  the  ground  without  being  strewn  with 
dry  leaves  and  moss,  sufficient  of  this  was  soon 


25* 


294  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;   OR, 

carried  in  to  form  seats  and  soft  couches  for 
repose. 

At  a  little  distance  from  their  habitation  the 
two  young  men  found  several  trees  which  had 
been  felled  to  the  ground  by  some  storm  or  the 
hand  of  time ;  and,  one  of  them  having  been 
broken  by  the  fall,  a  suitable  piece  was  rolled  to 
the  entrance  of  the  hollow  tree,  where  it  served 
all  the  purposes  of  a  door,  leaving  just  sufficient 
room  for  the  admission  of  light  and  air. 

And  in  this  natural  dwelling  the  fugitives  led 
a  pleasant  and  contented  life,  the  young  men 
providing  the  means  of  subsistence,  while  the 
maidens  did  all  in  their  power  to  render  the 
existence  of  their  companions  as  comfortable  as 
possible.  Hitherto  they  had  subsisted  only  on 
the  fruit  that  grew  around  them  in  abundance, 
and,  with  the  thoughtlessness  of  children,  they 
had  never  for  a  moment  doubted  that  the  supply 
would  last  forever.  The  laying  in  of  a  supply 
for  the  colder  season,  therefore,  was  out  of  the 
question,  and  as,  from  some  cause  or  other,  our 
friends  had  as  yet  not  seen  any  game  that  might 
have  served  them  as  food  in  the  event  of  the 
fruit  giving  out,  there  was  some  danger  of  their 


THE  FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  295 

perishing  for  want  of  proper  nourishment  as  soon 
as  the  winter  season  should  set  in. 

But  as  yet  Jehovah  had  not  abandoned  the 
little  party;  and,  although  their  ideas  of  Divinity 
had  become  confused  and  in  a  great  measure 
obliterated,  it  had  been  resolved  in  the  counsel 
of  Providence  that  these  last  remnants  of  the 
lost  tribes  of  Israel  should  live  to  become  the 
founders  of  a  new  nation,  which,  though  differ 
ing  from  the  rest  of  mankind  in  customs  and 
color,  were  to  be  as  perfect  specimens  of  hu 
manity  as  all  the  other  and  more  favored  de 
scendants  of  Adam  and  Eve,  and  which  to  future 
generations  should  bear  witness  to  the  power 
and  wisdom  of  the  Almighty. 

We  resume  the  thread  of  our  narrative.  One 
day,  while  out  in  search  of  a  new  supply  of  fruit, 
Omar  and  Gad  unconsciously  strayed  far  beyond 
the  usual  limits  of  their  wanderings,  and  at 
length  came  to  the  banks  of  a  bubbling  stream 
let,  which  seemed  to  be  the  rendezvous  of  in 
numerable  flocks  of  deer  and  other  game. 

With  their  almost  instinctive  love  of  the 
chase,  our  friends  for  some  time  enjoyed  the 
pranks  and  gambols  of  the  beautiful  animals, 


296  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OP  ISRAEL;    OR, 

which,  having  never  before  seen  a  human  being, 
seemed  to  regard  the  two  men  as  some  new  kind 
of  their  own  species;  and  when  their  length 
ening  shadows  at  last  admonished  the  hunters 
to  return  to  their  forest  home,  they  easily  suc 
ceeded  in  capturing  as  many  of  the  unsuspecting 
quadrupeds  as  they  wished  to  take  with  them. 

But,  as  we  have  seen  above,  the  wanderers 
had  strayed  far  beyond  the  usual  limits  of  their 
wanderings ;  and  now,  w^hen  they  thought  of  their 
lovely  and  no  doubt  anxiously-waiting  compa 
nions,  they  for  the  first  time  became  ,aware  of 
the  startling  fact  that  they  were  in  an  entirely 
strange  part  of  the  forest,  and,  worse  than  all, 
that  they  had  neglected  their  habitual  precau 
tions  to  leave  on  their  route  such  marks  as  might 
guide  them  on  their  return.  Yet  all  this  was 
now  not  to  be  altered,  and  nothing  but  prompt 
decision  could  avail  them  in  this  unpleasant 
dilemma. 

In  their  frequent  wanderings,  our  friends  had 
fortunately  acquired  considerable  knowledge  of 
forest-life  :  they  had  learned  to  regard  each  bend 
of  the  stout  grass,  each  broken  twig,  and  last, 
though  not  least,  the  regular  course  of  the  sun. 


THE   FIRST  OF   THE   RED  MEN.  297 

All  this  now  caine  in  good  stead,  and  before  long 
they  succeeded  in  finding  the  way  by  which  they 
had  come, — not,  however,  before  leaving  behind 
all  but  one  of  the  captured  animals.  But,  although 
the  route  toward  their  habitation  now  lay  partly 
before  them,  it  required  their  closest  attention 
to  discover  the  tracks  they  had  left  in  the  luxu 
riant  grass,  and  consequently  their  progress  was 
naturally  very  slow ;  added  to  which  came  the 
fact  that  the  animal  they  had  retained — a  stately 
deer,  which  they  were  resolved  on  no  account  to 
relinquish — at  times  became  restive,  and  greatly 
assisted  in  retarding  their  homeward  journey. 
We,  however,  will  hasten  onward,  and,  with  the 
permission  of  my  readers,  I  will  introduce  them 
into  the  presence  of  Talmai  and  Adah. 

When  their  friends  had  left  them  that  morn 
ing,  the  two  maidens  sat  down  together  to  a 
friendly  interchange  of  their  mutual  thoughts 
and  opinions.  Talmai,  whose  intellectual  supe 
riority  over  her  humbler  companion  had  long 
been  recognized  by  the  latter,  by  whom  she  was 
looked  up  to  as  guide  and  protectress  rather  than 
a  mere  playfellow,  as  usual  opened  the  conver 
sation. 


298  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

"  Is  it  not  wonderful/'  the  regal  girl  com 
menced,  "  that  we  should  find  ourselves  inmates 
of  this  lovely  forest  without  being  able  to  recall 
our  past  existence?  For  that  our  existence  dates 
back  further  than  to  that  moment  when  we 
found  ourselves  awaking  from  our  painful  slum 
ber  near  the  banks  of  the  endless  water,  I  cannot 
doubt,  and  I  can  dimly  trace  in  the  far  past  scenes 
altogether  different  from  these  that  now  surround 
us.  Like  some  vague  and  undefined  dream,  a 
whole  lifetime  seems  to  lie  behind  me,  and  yet, 
while  an  inner  voice  tells  me  that  this  is  actually 
so,  I  am  utterly  unable  to  recall  a  single  incident 
with  distinctness  sufficient  to  warrant  the  recol 
lection. 

"  Yet  why  should  we  trouble  ourselves  about 
things  that  lie  so  far  behind  us  ?  Rather  let  us 
rejoice  in  our  present  existence,  free  from  care 
and  sorrow;  and,  above  all,  let  us  exert  our 
selves  to  render  content  and  happy  the  laborious 
life  of  our  noble  friends  and  protectors.  Oh,  my 
Adah,  I  feel  in  my  heart  that  my  friendship  for 
the  noble  Omar  is  giving  way  to  a  feeling  far 
more  intense,  far  more  delicious!  What  this 
feeling  is  I  know  not ;  but  it  seems  to  me  as  if  I 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  299 

had  ceased  to  be  myself,  and  had  become  a  part 
of  him  who  so  bravely  has  done  and  still  does 
so  much  to  provide  us  with  all  we  need !  Say, 
my  Adah,  hast  thou  never  experienced  a  similar 
sensation  ?  Has  not  the  gallant  Gad  kindled  a 
like  feeling  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  thy  heart? 
Nay,  do  not  cast  down  thine  eyes  :  see,  I  rejoice. 
I  glory,  in  the  novel  sensation  of  my  heart! 
Speak :  is  it  only  friendship  thou  feelest  for  the 
gallant  Gad?" 

And  Adah  raised  her  eyes  to  those  of  her 
friend  and  companion, — eyes  so  full  of  rapture, 
so  full  of  love,  even  veneration,  that  Talmai 
was  answered,  and,  in  the  paroxysm  of  her  own 
feelings,  she  pressed  the  fair  girl  to  her  bosom 
and  covered  her  face  with  burning  kisses. 

"Oh!"  murmured  Adah,  "I  adore  him!  and 
willingly  could  I  lie  down  and  die,  if  my  doing 
so  would  make  him  happy." 

And  in  a  similar  strain  the  maidens  con 
versed,  not  heeding  the  flight  of  time,  until  the 
cravings  of  appetite  summoned  them  to  their 
frugal  meal.  This  they  took  in  silence;  and, 
even  long  after  it  had  been  ended,  Talmai  sat 
speechless,  seemingly  absorbed  in  deep  thought. 


300  THE    LOST    TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

Suddenly  she  started  from  her  revery,  and, 
perceiving  her  friend,  who  was  intently  watch 
ing  her,  she  smiled,  and  said, — 

"  Another  of  my  dim  recollections,  my  darling; 
but  this  time  a  little  more  tangible  than  before. 
While  eating  of  the  fruit  there,  I  remembered  a 
dish  of  a  peculiarly  rich  and  savory  flavor, 
which  in  former  times  we  all  loved  above  every 
thing  else ;  and  then  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  Omar 
were  returning  loaded  with  something  I  did  not 
recognize,  which,  after  undergoing  a  certain  pro 
cess,  furnished  the  ingredients  to  the  above- 
mentioned  dish. 

"  I  should  have  dismissed  the  recollection,  as  I 
was  obliged  to  do  all  the  former  ones;  but  its 
distinctness,  and  particularly  the  pleasant  flavor, 
which  even  now  seems  to  linger  in  my  nostrils, 
led  me  on  to  give  the  reins  to  my  thoughts,  and 
presently  they  brought  me  a  step  further.  I 
remembered  that,  when  last  we  partook  of  the 
dish  just  described,  our  situation  was  similar  to 
that  we  now  occupy,  and  that,  while  he  had 
gone  out  to  procure  a  supply  of  fruit,  Omar  had 
found  what  he  brought;  and  then  I  began  to 
hope  that  our  friends  might  again  be  so  fortu- 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  301 

nate  as  to  find  a  similar  object.  For,  to  tell  you  the 
truth,  although  I  am  quite  content  with  what  we 
have,  the  delicious  food  I  saw,  tasted,  and  smelled 
has  quite  spoiled  my  appetite  for  our  ordinary  food. 

"  But  how  is  this  ?  In  our  eager  conversation 
we  have  not  heeded  the  flight  of  time;  the  sun 
has  already  sunk  out  of  sight,  and  yet  our  pro 
tectors  have  not  returned !" 

The  girls  jumped  up  and  left  their  dark  abode; 
they  ran  as  far  as  their  security  would  permit, 
incessantly  shouting  the  names  of  their  absent 
friends.  But  echo  only  threw  back  the  sound 
of  their  own  voices.  And  now  the  maidens 
became  really  alarmed ;  yet  they  were  powerless 
to  do  more,  and,  after  running  and  shouting  for 
some  time  longer,  they  at  last  threw  themselves 
down  in  utter  despair.  So  they  lay  for  several 
hours,  until  their  swoon  passed  away,  and  then 
they  again  sat  up.  It  was  now  near  the  hour 
of  midnight :  the  moon  shone  down  full  and 
brilliant,  and  the  mighty  forest  lay  dark  and 
silent.  After  a  little  while  the  girls  were 
entirely  restored  to  consciousness,  and  the 
thought  of  their  still  absent  protectors  came 
back  in  all  force.  Once  more  the  fair  creatures 

26 


302  THE    LOST   TRIBES   OF    ISRAEL;    OR, 

jumped  up,  and  once  more  the  names  of  Omar 
and  Gad  rang  far  out  over  the  wilderness,  when — 
oh,  joy! — an  answering  shout  was  heard  from 
the  depth  of  the  forest,  and  a  little  later  the 
maidens,  now  trembling  for  joy,  were  clasped 
to  the  bosoms  of  the  happy  hunters.  But  see ! 
what  is  that  which  makes  Talmai  start?  and  why 
that  joyous  glance  that  suddenly  illumines  her 
noble  face  ? 

Ha !  she  has  caught  sight  of  a  certain  some 
thing  slung  across  the  back  of  her  stout  lover. 
It  is  the  deer  which  the  young  men  have 
caught,  and  which  they  had  resolved  to  retain 
as  a  trophy  of  their  exploit.  When  already 
near  their  destination,  the  animal  had  stumbled 
over  some  half-decayed  branches,  and,  falling 
down,  had  broken  a  leg;  but,  being  so  near  their 
home,  our  friends  had  resolved  not  to  leave 
their  prize  behind,  and  Omar,  the  stoutest  of 
the  two,  had  volunteered  to  carry  it.  And  now 
in  that  deer  Talmai  had  recognized  the  object 
she  had  dreamed  of  in  her  revery,  and  which 
had  furnished  that  delicious  dish  she  had  tasted 
in  imagination. 

When  Omar  had  taken  the  crippled  animal 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN".  303 

on  his  shoulders,  he  had  been  actuated  only  by 
pity,  and  the  desire  of  at  least  showing  what 
had  detained  and  caused  them  so  much  trouble; 
but  when  he  was  informed  of  the  recollection  of 
the  fair  being  by  his  side,  he  was  overjoyed;  and, 
not  for  one  moment  doubting  that  she  was  right, 
he  at  once  resolved  to  try  the  experiment  as  far 
as  it  lay  in  his  power. 

And  now  the  reunited  friends  took  their  way 
toward  their  habitation,  while  the  young  men 
narrated  the  incidents  of  their  hunting-expe 
dition.  Arrived  at  their  hollow  tree,  Omar  forth 
with  went  in  search  of  instruments  wherewith 
to  kill  their  game ;  and  ere  long  he  returned 
with  a  sharp-edged  stone  and  a  heavy  club,  one 
well-directed  blow  with  which  laid  the  animal 
low  and  forever  relieved  it  of  its  sufferings. 

Then,  notwithstanding  the  lateness  of  the 
hour,  the  deer  was  skinned  with  the  sharp- 
edged  stone,  and  the  meat  cut.  Owing  to  the 
imperfection  of  the  instrument,  these  latter 
tasks  were  performed  with  the  utmost  difficulty; 
and  only  after  the  exertion  of  the  greatest 
patience  and  industry  on  the  part  of  the  hunters 
was  the  labor  at  last  accomplished.  Of  cooking, 


I 


304  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

of  course,  the  friends  had  no  idea;  but  their 
tastes  were  untutored  and  unspoiled,  and  when 
the  first  raw  morsel  had  been  washed  down 
with  a  draught  of  the  yet  warm  blood,  their  joy 
at  having  discovered  so  nourishing  and  delicious 
a  food  was  very  great  indeed.  When  the  meal 
was  ended,  the  young  people  for  some  moments 
sat  silent,  each  one  busy  with  his  own  thoughts; 
then  their  eyes  met,  and  with  one  accord  they 
were  raised  heavenward,  while  a  silent  prayer 
of  thanksgiving  ascended  on  high.  The  ideas 
of  Divinity  of  our  adventurers  were  obliterated, 
as  we  have  seen  above;  but  a  certain  something, 
they  did  not  know  what,  irresistibly  drew  their 
eyes  upward,  and,  although  they  could  not  help 
feeling  and  mutely  expressing  the  deepest  grati 
tude,  yet  they  were  not  aware  to  whom  their 
fervent  thanks  were  given. 

And  now  our  little  party  sought  their  couches, 
and  ere  long  they  lay  in  sweet  and  sound 
repose. 


THE   FIRST   OF    THE    RED   MEN.  305 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


ONE  year  and  a  half  had  now  passed  since 
our  adventurers  had  been  landed  on  the  conti 
nent  of  America,  and  they  had  become  ac 
customed  to  their  surroundings  and  the  mode 
of  their  present  life. 

The  winter  had,  fortunately,  been  a  very  mild 
one,  and,  thanks  to  the  fortunate  circumstance 
through  which  the  friends  had  become  ac 
quainted  with  the  use  of  the  meat,  blood,  and 
at  last  the  skins  too,  of  the  various  animals 
they  had  now  found  to  exist  in  such  abundance 
at  a  little  distance  from  their  dwelling,  they  had 
been  well  provided  with  every  thing  needful.  In 
fact,  long  before  the  cold  season  had  set  in, 
Omar  and  Gad  had  succeeded  in  catching  alive 
quite  a  number  of  deer  and  other  game,  the 
flesh  of  which  made  a  most  nutritious  food, 
while  their  thick  and  hairy  hides'  afforded  ex- 

U  26* 


306  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF  ISRAEL;    OR, 

cellent  protection  against  the  chill  blasts  of  the 
northerly  winds. 

Hitherto  the  time  and  attention  of  the  mem 
bers  of  our  little  party  had  been  so  engrossed  by 
the  care  of  providing  for  their  mutual  comfort, 
that  the  nicer  and  nobler  feelings  of  their  souls 
had  of  necessity  been  forced  back  within  the 
deepest  recesses  of  their  hearts.  Their  original 
language  had  almost  entirely  disappeared;  a  great 
many  words  of  their  mother-tongue  had  been 
forgotten;  while  the  many  new  objects  they  saw 
around  them  had  taxed  their  ingenuity  in  in 
venting  appropriate  names.  And  so  it  happened 
that,  while  they  retained  the  guttural  tones  and 
pronunciation  of  their  own  people,  the  words 
used  by  the  first  inhabitants  of  the  Western 
continent  had  become  entirely  different  from 
those  of  their  late  countrymen. 

Now  that  all  the  simple  wants  of  our  friends  had 
been  provided  for,  and  their  friendship  had  ripened 
into  the  most  sincere  and  passionate  love,  the 
long-pent-up  feelings  of  their  hearts  claimed  the 
right  of  asserting  themselves.  The  womanly 
charms  of  the  maidens,  which  at  first  had  filled 
the  souls  of  their  companions  with  pleasant 


THE   FIRST    OF   THE    RED   MEN.  307 

emotions,  now  set  their  hearts  on  fire,  and  nature 
would  no  longer  be  denied  her  just  rights. 

All  the  time  that  was  not  necessarily  employed 
in  the  chase  or  the  procuring  of  fruit,  &c.,  the 
lovers  now  spent  in  each  others'  company,  and, 
while  the  girls  listened  rapturously  to  the 
passionate  outpourings  of  their  devoted  swains, 
the  latter  felt  themselves  lifted  into  brighter 
regions  by  the  loving  glances  of  their  adored 
sweethearts.  At  the  distance  of  about  half  a 
mile  from  their  abode  was  a  small  but  beauti 
ful  lake,  whose  blue  and  transparent  waters 
mirrored  the  sky;  and  here  was  the  favorite 
try  sting-place  of  Omar  and  Talmai ;  while  Gad 
and  Adah  preferred  the  protecting  shadow  of 
their  forest  home.  Often,  when  the  labors  of 
the  day  were  ended,  and  when  twilight  began 
to  fall  upon  the  earth,  the  son  of  Harim,  accom 
panied  by  Nahum's  daughter,  might  have  been 
seen  wending  their  way  through  the  dark  and 
silent  forest  toward  their  sky-roofed  "temple" 
of  love. 

Here,  in  the  deep  solitude,  surrounded  by 
patriarchal  trees,  and  the  crystal  liquid  spark 
ling  at  their  feet,  the  happy  lover  pours  his  burn- 


308  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

ing  words  into  the  wide-open  ears  of  his  enrap 
tured  bride,  unheard  by  any  other  human  being, 
— save  the  writer  of  this  tale  and  his  com 
panions. 

With  the  privilege  of  the  author  to  be  present 
on  all  occasions  where  something  interesting  is 
going  on,  and  well  supplied  with  all  the  appli 
ances  of  witchcraft,  I  spread  my  magic  mantle — 
which,  besides  making  its  occupants  entirely  in 
visible,  at  the  same  time  with  lightning  speed 
carries  them  to  the  desired  spot — and  most  re 
spectfully  invite  my  gentle  readers  to  accompany 
me  on  the  aerial  voyage.  Come  on,  ladies  and 
gentlemen;  step  fearlessly  upon  the  wonderful 
garment :  it  is  secure  and  spacious ;  and,  should 
it  be  necessary,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  enlarge  it 
with  one  word  of  my  powerful  tongue.  Cou 
rage,  now :  make  yourselves  comfortable.  Presto, 
change !  and  up  we  go  into  unknown  regions. 
Ha !  do  you  feel  the  cooling  breeze  fanning  your 
feverish  brows?  You  fear?  you  tremble?  Take 
my  hand :  to  fall  is  impossible.  See  yonder 
cloud,  how  swiftly  it  sails  onward.  Now  it  is 
beneath  our  feet.  On,  on  it  goes,  until  it  falls 
to  the  earth  in  myriads  of  glistening  rain-drops. 


THE  FIRST  OF   THE   RED   MEN".  309 

Where  are  we  ?  Behold  there  the  glorious  sun, 
a  fiery  ball,  surrounded  by  an  ocean  of  ice  !  On, 
on,  my  brave  mantle !  soar  up,  higher  and  higher ! 
Ugh !  you  shiver  ?  the  blood  begins  to  freeze  in 
your  veins  ?  No  matter  :  this  phial  contains  a 
powerful  elixir.  I  throw  it  up  over  your  heads. 
How  delightful !  How  do  you  feel  ?  Warm  as 
on  a  Fourth  of  July  in  the  midst  of  the  grateful 
citizens  of  this  glorious  republic  ?  Good !  I  am 
content.  And  now  we  are  near  our  destination. 
Look  down.  Do  you  behold  that  bed  of  liquid 
silver  ?  It  is  the  lake  of  our  lovers.  There !  see 
you  that  stately,  dark-red  young  man  ?  That 
is  Omar ;  and  the  copper-colored  beauty  at  his 
side  is  his  Talmai.  Behold  the  Juno-like  form, 
those  dark  almond-shaped  eyes,  that  queenly 
brow!  Her  jetty  hair  falls  in  natural  ringlets 
down  on  the  well-rounded  shoulders.  The  vo 
luptuous  bust  is  a  delicious  couch  for  the  weary 
head  of  her  chosen.  There  she  sits  on  the  trunk 
of  a  fallen  tree,  and  her  lover  nestles  at  her  feet. 
See!  now  his  lips  are  parting  for  love's  sweet 
communion.  Be  silent  now,  and  let  us  alight  at 
the  foot  of  yonder  sycamore.  Hark!  now  he 
speaks.  But  what  a  lingo !  You  don't  under- 


310  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

stand  him  ?  Well,  I  shall  translate  as  the  words 
fall  from  his  lips  : — ' 

"  Joy  of  my  eyes !  light  of  my  soul !  as  the 
beams  of  yonder  sinking  sun  warm  and  animate 
the  creatures  of  the  earth,  so  the  beams  of  thy 
glorious  eyes  warm  and  animate  my  innermost 
heart.  When  1  gathered  the  luscious  fruit,  when 
I  hunted  the  swift  doe  or  the  swifter  stag,  I 
thought  of  thee :  thine  image  has  been  before 
my  eyes,  awake  or  asleep.  For  thy  sake  I  could 
have  done  and  dared  every  thing;  and,  when 
sometimes  almost  insurmountable  difficulties 
arose  in  my  path,  the  thought  of  thee  sustained 
me  and  always  made  me  victorious. 

"  When  first  I  beheld  thee  near  the  banks  of  the 
endless  water,  my  heart  was  filled  with  pleasant 
emotions,  and  I  resolved  to  be  thy  friend  and 
protector.  Then  I  did  not  understand  the  emo 
tions  that  were  born  in  my  heart,  and  I  only 
knew  that  thou  wert  dear  to  me.  But  since 
then  the  feelings  of  my  heart  have  grown  into 
strong,  all-absorbing  love :  the  voice  of  nature 
has  spoken  within  me,  and  now  I  claim  thee  for 
my  own.  I  feel  it  within  me  that  man  and 
woman  must  have  been  created  for  some  grand 


THE   FIRST   OF    THE    RED   MEN.  311 

and  noble  purpose :  the  voice  that  spoke  within 
me  said  that  you  had  been  made  to  sweeten  my 
existence ;  and  therefore  let  us  be  forever  united, 
let  us  share  our  mutual  duties,  and  let  it  be  our 
highest  aim  to  render  each  other  happy." 

The  speaker  ceases,  and  fondly  looks  up  into 
the  eyes  of  his  companion  to  note  the  effect  of 
his  words.  y^^ 

But  what  is  the  matter  with  you,  my  brave 
companions?  You  look  incredulous,  and  your 
mysterious  whisperings  seem  to  indicate  that 
you  do  not  believe  me. 

Oh !  you  don't  understand  that  so  uncivilized 
a  being  as  this  Omar  undoubtedly  is  should  use 
such  language,  which,  although  bold  and  to  the 
point,  would  certainly  lead  to  the  belief  that  he 
who  spoke  it  must  be  a  man  of  some  refinement 
and  culture.  That's  it,  is  it  ? 

Why,  bless  your  dear,  innocent  souls!  don't 
you  know  that  that  entire  speech  is  but  a  trans 
lation  ?  What  could  it  have  availed  either  you 
or  me  had  I  repeated  the  exact  and  almost  un 
pronounceable  words  he  uttered  ?  You  would  not 
have  understood  them  at  all,  and  therefore  they 
would  not  have  interested  you.  It  is  the  mean- 


312  THE   LOST    TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

ing,  not  only  of  the  few  sentences,  but  also  of 
the  looks  and  gestures  accompanying  them,  that 
we  want;  and  this  I  have  endeavored  to  give 
you  to  the  best  of  my  ability.  So  much  for 
that.  And  now  let  us  look  at  the  lovely  Talmai. 

How  radiant  she  looks !  how  that  happy  smile 
illumines  her  brown  features  !  She  has  eagerly 
devoured  the  words  of  her  handsome  lover,  and 
— do  not  start,  my  fair  fellow-travellers — she  did 
not  even  blush.  Pure,  simple,  and  innocent 
child  of  nature !  With  the  nobility  of  a  queen, 
she  arises  :  for  one  moment  she  stands  proud  and 
erect,  her  eyes  looking  her  unspeakable  feelings ; 
then  she  slowly  raises  her  right  arm  heaven 
ward  : — 

"  Beloved,  I  am  thine, — thine  through  sunshine 
and  darkness,  thine  to  share  the  duties  that  may 
await  us,  thine  forever." 

This  ceremony,  so  imposing  in  its  very  sim 
plicity,  is  important. 

Thus  Omar  and  Talmai  are  married. 

Kapturously  the  young  husband  strains  his 
adored  bride  to  his  bosom,  and  the  first  fervent 
kiss  seals  the  sacred  compact. 

The  twilight  now  has  vanished,  and  night  has 


THE  FIRST  OF   THE  RED   MEN.  313 

set  in.  One  by  one  the  stars  begin  to  peep  out 
from  the  azure  sky,  while  far  off  in  the  east 
Luna  appears  on  her  solitary  walk ;  and  in  the 
pale,  cold  light  of  the  "  goddess  of  night"  the 
wedded  pair  wend  their  way  homeward.  We, 
too,  gentle  readers,  must  now  think  of  returning ; 
for  the  night-air  is  chill,  and  a  longer  exposure 
so  near  the  banks  of  that  beautiful  lake  might 
cause  us  a  cold  as  a  reward  for  our  temerity. 
On!  on!  brave  mantle,  and  carry  thy  precious 
load,  far  up  above  the  mighty  forest,  back  to  the 
place  whence  we  started. 

In  the  mean  time  Omar  and  Talmai  had 
reached  their  forest  home,  where,  by  a  singular 
coincidence,  or  by  preconcerted  arrangement, 
Gad  and  Adah  had  also  gone  through  the  im 
portant  ceremony  of  marriage.  The  congratu 
lations  therefore  were  mutual,  and,  after  a  brief 
general  conversation,  the  "  blushing  brides"  were 

led  to  the  couches  of  their  new-made  lords. 
#  *  *  *  * 

The  next  morning  broke  bright  and  glorious : 
the  denizens  of  the  forest  had  left  their  lairs, 
and  the  birds  were  singing  the  last  stanzas  of 
their  morning  hymn.  But  around  that  hollow 

27 


314  THE  LOST  TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

tree  all  was  silent.  Contrary  to  their  usual 
custom,  the  young  people  were  yet  in  bed ;  and 
the  sun  indicated  the  tenth  hour  before  they 
arose.  But  now  the  log  was  rolled  away  from 
the  entrance  of  the  hut,  and,  arm  in  arm,  the 
two  husbands  and  their  smiling  wives  appeared 
in  the  aperture. 

The  serene  and  contented  expression  of  the 
faces  of  all  showed  that  they  were  happy  indeed ; 
and,  after  mutually  expressing  their  surprise  at 
the  lateness  of  the  hour,  our  married  folks  at 
once  made  preparation  for  a  joyous  festival.  -A 
stately  deer,  that  had  been  secured  on  the  pre 
vious  day,  was  brought  forward ;  and,  while  the 
two  men  set  to  work  to  skin  and  cut  the  animal, 
— a  process  that  was  now  greatly  facilitated  by 
Omar  having,  after  long  and  arduous  labor,  suc 
ceeded  in  sharpening  a  piece  of  very  hard  wood 
in  such  a  manner  as  to  make  it  serve  all  the 
purposes  of  the  modern  knife, — the  women  went 
to  gather  fresh  fruit  and  fill  their  cocoa-shells 
with  water.  No  cooking,  roasting,  or  baking 
being  required,  the  frugal  meal  was  soon  pre 
pared  ;  and  then  our  friends  sat  down  to  partake 
of  the  festive  repast.  But  the  order  of  things 


THE  FIRST  OF  THE   RED   MEN.  315 

was  changed.  Heretofore,  while  at  their  meals, 
the  young  men  had  found  their  greatest  pleasure 
in  serving  their  fair  companions ;  but  now  the 
latter  thought  it  their  duty  to  lighten  as  much 
as  possible  the  labors  of  their  husbands,  and  in 
turn  now  waited  on  their  masters,  who,  although 
earnestly  remonstrating  at  first  against  the  un 
wonted  proceeding,  soon  began  to  feel  and  enjoy 
the  comfort  of  being  served ;  and  from  that  time 
the  Indian  wife  gradually  became  the  slave  of 
her  husband.  pOCroft  Library 

The  meal  of  Omar,  Gad,  and  their  brides  was 
in  every  respect  a  happy  and  joyous  one.  The 
meat  was  raw,  and  there  were  no  artificial  drinks 
to  stimulate  the  appetite,  it  is  true ;  but  these 
luxuries  were  unknown  to  the  friends,  and  there 
fore  not  missed.  One  thing  every  member  of 
that  little  party  possessed,  which  gave  flavor  to 
their  viands  and  zest  to  their  enjoyments  :  this 
was  the  knowledge  of  being  beloved  by  the 
object  of  their  heart's  choice. 

When  the  repast  was  ended,  the  two  families 
went  on  a  short  hunting  and  exploring  expe 
dition,  and  the  rest  of  the  day  was  spent  in 
social  sports.  Thus  the  companions  again  lived 


316  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

on,  happy  and  content.  Their  simple  wants  were 
easily  supplied;  and,  as  now  the  women  faithfully 
shared  all  the  toil  and  labor  of  their  husbands, 
their  days  glided  by  in  harmony  and  comfort. 

Another  year  has  passed  away,  and  Talmai 
and  Adah  have  become  mothers. 

This  was  a  new  phase  in  the  life  of  our  ad 
venturers;  and  great  had  been  their  rejoicings 
when  the  first  wail  of  the  infants  had  fallen 
upon  the  ears  of  the  overjoyed  parents. 

"  Chow-wauk-he !"  (my  first-born,)  cried  Omar, 
when  Talmai  presented  him  a  plump  and  chubby 
little  son.  "  Mo-he -ga !"  (the  beautiful  one,)  echoed 
Gad,  when  Adah  showed  him  a  lovely  little 
daughter.  The  measure  of  happiness  in  the 
little  circle  was  now  full.  Thanks  to  their 
vigorous  constitutions,  their  simple  and  frugal 
habits,  and,  above  all,  their  lives  full  of  health 
ful  exercise  in  the  open  air,  the  young  mothers 
arose  a  few  days  after  the  birth,  well  and  strong 
as  ever,  while  the  children  were  as  healthy  and 
full  of  life  as  young  kids. 

It  is  impossible  to  describe  the  pleasure  with 
which  the  young  fathers  now  went  forth  to  pro- 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE  RED   MEN.  317 

vide  game,  fruit,  and  other  necessaries  for  their 
beloved  ones  at  home,  while  the  mothers  were 
busy  in  the  interior  of  the  wigwam,  moving 
about  with  anxious  caution,  so  as  not  to  awake 
their  sleeping  babes,  or  sat,  their  little  ones 
hanging  on  their  breasts,  impatiently  awaiting 
the  return  of  their  husbands,  to  whom  they  now 
felt  themselves  bound  by  a  strong  additional  tie. 
All  now  had  a  new  object  to  live  and  to  care 
for;  and  never  yet  has  lioness  watched  more 
anxiously  over  her  whelps  than  did  Omar  and 
Talmai,  Gad  and  Adah,  over  their  offspring. 
The  children  were  perfect  counterparts  of  their 
respective  parents;  and,  thanks  to  the  constant 
and  watchful  care  of  the  latter,  the  former  grew 
up  in  vigor,  beauty,  and  amiability. 

In  due  time  Chow-wauk-he  and  Mo-he-ga  were 
able  to  leave  the  parental  dwelling;  and  then 
they  not  unfrequently  accompanied  their  sires 
on  their  hunting-expeditions,  while  the  latter 
strictly  observed  the  divine  command,  "  Be  fruit 
ful,  and  multiply,"  their  families  becoming  en 
larged  by  some  new  addition  at  each  natural 
interval.  And  thus  time  passed  on. 


27* 


318  THE   LOST   TRIBES   OF   ISRAEL;    OR, 

Twenty-one  years  have  rolled  down  the  stream 
of  time  into  the  boundless  ocean  of  eternity, 
and  the  increase  of  their  numbers  has  obliged 
the  two  families  to  separate  and  seek  different 
dwelling-places. 

It  is  a  lovely  morning  in  that  delightful  season 
known  as  the  Indian  summer.  Again  I  spread 
my  magic  mantle,  again  I  invite  my  gentle 
readers  to  accompany  me  on  an  aerial  voyage, 
and  again  that  brave  and  useful  garment  soars 
up  into  the  sky  with  its  precious  load  of  civil 
ized  beings.  This  time  not  a  single  cloud  is 
visible  in  the  azure  of  the  higher  regions,  and 
our  view  is  unbounded.  The  king  of  day  sends 
down  his  warming  and  animating  rays  in  un 
broken  splendor,  and  in  his  glorious  light  glitter 
the  broad  streams,  the  dense  forests,  and  the 
lovely  vales  that  separate  us  from  our  destina 
tion.  Near  that  silvery  lake — the  end  of  our 
former  journey — we  again  descend,  and  cordially 
greet  our  old  acquaintances  the  patriarchal  trees 
and  the  waves  of  liquid  crystal.  Behold  yonder 
procession  of  the  copper -colored  sons  of  the 
forest !  How  elastic  and  joyous  is  their  step  ! 
Now  they  have  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  lake; 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  319 

and,  see!  they  are  forming  a  ring  around  their 
leaders.  Those  two  stately  men  in  the  prime 
of  life  are  Omar  and  Gad;  the  still  blooming 
dames  at  their  sides  are  Talmai  and  Adah;  and 
the  motley  group  of  young  men  and  women,  boys 
and  girls,  that  surround  them,  are  their  children, 
— all  as  brown  as  their  parents. 

Gently  ripple  the  transparent  waters  of  that 
beautiful  lake,  and  toward  its  opposite  shores 
are  the  eyes  of  the  assembled  people  directed. 
What  next  ?  Strain  your  eyes,  my  brave  com 
panions  !  What  see  you  ?  Nothing  ?  Well,  I 
declare  :  I,  too,  see — Ha !  there  it  is !  A  bark 
canoe  shoots  from  under  yon  overhanging  boughs. 
It  comes  nearer.  See  how  swiftly  it  goes  !  Now 
you  can  see  its  occupants.  One  is  a  young  man, 
tall  and  erect.  He  is  at  least  six  feet  high.  He 
is  dressed  in  the  glossy  skin  of  the  black  bear. 
The  other  is  a  girl.  How  beautiful !  What 
a  faultless  form !  She  is  dressed  in  the  snowy 
hide  of  the  white  deer.  And  now  the  young 
men  on  our  side  of  the  lake  are  cheering  the 
new-comers.  They  speak  among  themselves. 
Let  me  listen.  I  will  try  to  catch  the  meaning 
of  what  they  say.  Now  I  have  it.  Yonder 


320  THE   LOST   TRIBES  OF  ISRAEL;   OR, 

brown  sailor  is  to  be  married.  The  maiden  in 
the  prow  of  the  boat  is  his  bride.  They  have 
gone  to  the  opposite  shore  to  hunt  their  wedding- 
garments;  and,  see !  they  have  succeeded.  They 
are  returning  victorious.  Their  dresses  are  new. 
The  blood  on  the  inner  side  of  the  skins  is  yet 
smoking.  Hurrah  for  the  bold  hunters  ! 

Now  they  have  landed.  They  go  straight  up 
to  Omar  and  his  companions,  while  the  children 
of  the  latter  stand  smiling  around.  Hark!  the 
tall  hunter  speaks.  He  declares  his  love  for  his 
fair  companion.  He  asks  Gad  and  Adah  to  give 
him  their  daughter.  They  smile.  Their  consent 
is  given,  and  the  happy  bride  sinks  into  the  out 
stretched  arms  of  her  stout  lover.  Now  all  em 
brace.  Omar  and  Talmai  raise  their  hands  in 
solemn  benediction.  "  Be  happy,  my  children," 
falls,  in  earnest  tones,  from  the  former's  lips,  and 
the  ceremony  is  over.  The  lovers  are  married. 

For  some  moments  all  are  silent.  Then  a 
mighty  shout  reverberates  through  the  dark 
forest,  and  echo  carries  it  far  out  over  the  coun 
try.  "Long  life  and  prosperity  to  Mo-he-ga,  the 
flower  of  the  wilderness !  Long  life  and  pros 
perity  to  Chow-wauk-he,  the  bold  hunter !" 


THE   FIRST   OF   THE   RED   MEN.  321 

And  thus,  my  brave  companions,  we  will  leave 
the  first  of  the  red  men,  the  first  natives  of  our 
glorious  continent,  while  our  novel  conveyance 
carries  us  quickly  and  safely  back  to  the  place 
whence  we  started. 


THE   ENIX 


